Second World
by Deadlandmarshal
Summary: James Bond and his son, Harry face the most powerful force James has ever conceived, the secrets of the Second World. I now have a Beta, the amazing pazed!
1. Chapter 1& 2

**I own Nothing!**

**Read! Review! Enjoy!**

**edited by pazed! **

**Thank You!**

**CHAPTER 1**

"Mother, you are needed," spoke a quiet voice.

The woman looked up from the book she was reading and looked closely at her daughter's face. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused, her face was relaxed and without a note of emotion. A sigh escaped her lips as she marked her place in her book, and closed it. She had been expecting this, but had been praying it would not come. Her daughter had arrived this evening, unannounced, a 'spur of the moment' thing, just wanted to come home from school for the weekend. Funny thing was it was the first weekend of the new term at the University of Florida, and she had never done that before. Her daughter loved the first weekend, with all her friends and things to do, and this was her senior year. No way she'd want to miss that.

Her daughter turned and walked down the hall, to a room seldom used in the home. Entering and turning on the light the young woman navigated the room with ease. First to a cabinet, from which she removed an ebony box, next she moved to a small altar where she placed the box and began to light the incense kept there. After a few moments she opened the box and began a chant over its contents. Removing something from the box she moved to the far side of the dark wood table in the middle of the room, to an ornate chair with a beautiful cloak of crystal and silver draped on it. Sitting she finally motioned for her mother to enter and take the seat across from her.

"Mother the time has come." Slowly her hand moved and placed an oversized deck of cards on the table; slowly her mother began to lift small stacks of cards from the deck and started placing them on the table occasionally stopping and re-stacking them in a single deck. Shuffling them while not doing the very old cards any damage. With a final cut her daughter said "Stop." The young woman picks up the deck and holding it in her left hand she looks evenly at the table and begins to chant again.

"**The Tower,** an old life burned away, a new one will come forth."

"**The King of Cups**, fortune favors the prepared but not all preparations can be trusted."

"**The Knight of Wands**, nature may guide to the future."

"**The Wheel of Fortune**, life is in flux the soul of an innocent is on the battlefield placed there by fate, it may be tipped in any direction or it may find another path."

"**Five of Swords**, arrogance unbridled led astray"

"**Queen of Swords**, protection of the realm and service to them."

"**Page of Swords**, a life of balance is best."

"**The Moon**, vigilance is the first hallmark of wisdom; do not be diverted from your goals."

"**Two of Pentacles**, burdens must be shared or all may be lost."

"**Five of Cups**, pray for the beginning"

"Mother, this is the reading. You must find him, your first. Go back to the beginning and move forward. He once brought destruction, now it is time for him to become more. Go to him, but you may not stay. Deliver the reading, start the transition, and return home to your daughter." With that the young woman picks up the cards, stands and returns them to the box and the box to the cupboard.

Pausing at the door, "I know you love him, but his path is not here."

"I know but there is no other for me."

**CHAPTER 2**

The sea smelt different here, not as much of the smell of human life bled over and what there was blown off into the ocean by the sea breeze. After a thankfully uneventful flight and boat ride she arrived on an island she never thought she would see again. Renting a small motorbike she went back to the beginning. The house she remembered was gone, that kind of surprised her, it was a beautiful home even if it held nightmares for her. The new home could be seen from the gates facing the street along with the placard stating the address, at least that was the same. According to the people in town it was called _Fortunada_ and only the couple that were caretakers had been seen there since it had been completed.

It was beautiful, large windows, vaulted ceilings and exposed dark woods. Truly beautiful. She pulled into the drive and leaned over the small speaker box and pressed the 'call' button.

"Yes"

"um.. My name is Solitaire, and.." a loud buzz was heard and the gears to the gates started to grind and swing the gates open.

"Please, pull up mistress."

"Mistress... what?" But she did as told.

As Solitaire approached the front door two people came rushing to the door to meet her, both trying to put on the last pieces of what looked to be uniforms.

"Good afternoon mistress, we were not told of your arrival, Marta will prepare a room for you and..."

"Please, stop a moment. Why are you calling me mistress?"

"Master James said to give you all courtesy if you chose to return, but he did not know if you would."

"James... He owns this?"

"Yes, of course. He comes here when he can, but that's not often."

"I need to find him, can you get in touch with him?"

"Yes, of course but not till tomorrow, it's already evening in England."


	2. Chapter 3

**I own Nothing!**

**Read! Review! Enjoy!**

**edited by pazed! **

**Thank You!**

**CHAPTER 3**

"Damn it Bill, it's all I've done for close to twenty years! Now he wants me out of the field!" slamming the empty tumbler on the desk. He was a handsome man very little gray peppering his hair at the temples, intelligent blue eyes, and a thin scar running down his left cheek. Even in the office he prefers a suit 'more options in a well-tailored suit' as his tailor says.

"It's a younger game James," answers his friend, a larger man, balding with genial jovial eyes.

"Younger… stupider more like.." James grumbled under his breath.

"Young does not mean.."…**BEEP**…"Just a second James." Quickly picking up the phone. "Yes. Yes, he's still here..No, put it through here if it's important. James it's a call from someplace called Fortunada."

"That's odd," taking the phone. "Yes... WHAT? Yes. OK. What's the information?" He motions to Bill for a pen and paper. "Yes I've got it. No. You did fine. Thank You."

James slumps back into his chair, staring at the page. "Well?" asks Bill "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I may just have. One that just may bite me in the ass."

James arrived at Heathrow airport very early, pacing the arrivals area. 'What does she need? Is she in trouble?'

"NOW ARRIVING FLIFGHT 689 FROM NASSAU THE BAHAMMAS" rang the announcement.

He started scanning the crowd for a face he hadn't seen in... what eighteen years? He had done so much since then, as he thought back his mood darkened as it tended to when he thought back on the years. Tracy.. the only woman he had tried to give it all up for.. when she was killed his world shattered, all that was left was the work, the next job. That is what kept the pain at bay, this job and the next, but what was he to do now? They want him out of the field, tied to a desk.

He saw her exiting the gangway into the main terminal, her hair was just as dark black as he remembered but was no longer long it was cut neatly just at shoulder length. Dark eyes that sparkled with intelligence and mystery, and a beautiful crooked smile Petite and slender she would be a man killer if she understood how attractive she was. He just had to smile as she shivered and rubbed her arms against the chill of the early November London weather, she was dressed for Nassau, complete with sun hat.

He let her pass in the crowd then approached quietly from behind.

"My dear Solitaire, what brings you to the shores of England?" he whispered from just behind her left ear.

She spun quickly, and James just managed to block her knee from hitting his groin and he noticed her keys held tightly between he fingers like tiny knives, he was impressed she had learned to defend herself.

The fierce look in her eyes passed quickly as she looked at him, she suddenly launched herself at him with a squeal of "JAMES!" and landed a kiss square on his lips. As she slowly broke the kiss she inhaled his scent deeply, the smell of his aftershave, and leather. She loved it! The feel of him in her arms again.

"James, it's good to see you again, but its Terry now Terry Summers. Solitaire is in the past."

James frowned down at her."I'm sorry Sol.. Terry. I wouldn't.. If I'd known.."

"No, James. It's OK. It was time. I regret nothing, you shouldn't either." She said with a large smile. "So. How are you James?"

He smiled it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm good." She knew he was lying but let it go. "Let's get your bags and get you out of here." He reached out and took her hand and led her to the baggage claim area while she snuggled up to his arm.

* * *

><p>James pulled his new Aston Martin <em>Vantage<em> onto the M4 and headed west.

"James how did you know I was coming?"

"I got a call from Marta."

"I'm surprised you were in town I was planning to visit the area till you came back from your current trip."

"Well," James ran his hand through his hair nervously. "That won't be any longer. I got the word this week, no more field jobs for me,"

Her heart leapt, no longer would she need to wonder if he was safe. "Any reason why?"

"They seem to think my experience could be of use somewhere else, I'm too old for the road."

"What do you think?"

"I... I don't know. I don't think I remember how to do anything else, it's been my life for over twenty years. How about you? I don't know what you've been up to much less why you need to see me so badly."

"Mmmmm we'll get to that later over dinner. As to what I've been up to. Well, I'm living in Miami now and own a couple of small florist shops and they are doing well. I have a beautiful daughter Janet, she's seventeen and very intelligent, even skipped two grades in school and is a Senior at the University of Florida. She's my little star, I'll show you pictures."

He merged smoothly onto the M24 south. "A daughter! That's great I bet she's a lot like you? I imagine you and your husband are proud."

"Oh, we never married, and he was never part of our lives."

James could hear some bitterness but not as much as he would have thought. "That's too bad it sounds like you did an amazing job though."

"It was hard in the beginning, with getting the first store running, but I wouldn't have missed a second."

As the miles rolled past, she spoke more of Janet, her pride evident as she became more and more animated as she told of each of the accomplishments. James chuckled lightly at the stories. Her life had been good to her it seemed and he was glad - her life had been a nightmare when he first met her.

"James, do you think we can stop for dinner? Airline food isn't really food. Nothing fancy I'm not the foodie you are."

"That's not a problem I know a couple of places around."

"Terry, is she... like you were?"

"Yes, James she is, and that's why I'm here."

With that silence took over the conversation, as James pulled off the highway into a sleepy subdivision.

* * *

><p>The wine had arrived at the table, while not up to James's normal standard it was good, and their orders were taken. No longer could the topic be avoided.<p>

"James, Janet came home a few days ago unexpectedly and did a reading it was given to me for delivery, to you." She hesitated but continued. "Her gifts are different than mine were, more forceful I guess. Mine needed prompting, a question to be answered. Hers can be just out of the blue and directed more or more general depending on what the power directs. I do know that this reading will rest heavily on your future but you are not its focus." With that she passes him a sheet of paper that she had pulled from her purse.

James took the paper from her hand, and smoothly opened it.

"Any idea what it means?" He may not put much stock in this stuff but the woman in front of him at one time had been amazingly good a predicting his actions.

"Well it's a personal reading in the 'Celtic Cross" style."

"The first positions do have meaning, the description after is what Janet's connection to the power told her to pass to you.

The Present: **The Tower,** an old life burned away, a new on will come forth.

Immediate Challenge: **The King of Cups**, fortune favors the prepared but not all preparations can be trusted.

Hope for the future: **The Knight of Wands**, nature may guide to the future.

Past Experience: **The Wheel Of Fortune**, life is in flux the soul of an innocent is on the battlefield placed there by fate, it my be tipped in any direction or it may find another path.

Opposing Force: **Five of Swords**, arrogance unbridled led astray

Influence of the future: **Queen of Swords**, protection of the realm and service to them.

What is desired: **Page of Swords**, a life of balance is best.

Direction: **The Moon**, vigilance is the first hallmark of wisdom, do not be diverted from your goals.

Family: **Two of Pentacles**, burdens must be shared or all may be lost

Outcome: **Five of Cups**, pray for the beginning."

"The last she had to say on the subject was that once you brought destruction, it is time for you to become more." With that dinner continued quietly and finally with dessert moved back to more pleasant topics.


	3. Chapter 4

**I own Nothing!**

**Read! Review! Enjoy!**

**edited by pazed! **

**Thank You!**

**CHAPTER 4**

She just had to laugh the mighty James Bond frazzled by traffic. "Damn it! Bloody construction! Somebody must have messed with the signs last night as a Halloween prank." cookie cutter houses passed them in the darkness beyond the streetlights. "Can you help look for a street name? Reach behind your seat there is a city map book in the seat cubby."

She did as asked. "Do you know what town we are in?" She asked dropping back into the seat. "JAMES LOOK OUT!"

His eyes snapped to the road in time to see a small blue object in the road, pulling hard he swerved the car ramming it onto the curb. Terry was out of the car in a flash.

"James it's a baby." She gathered the crying infant into her arms. "He's cold James turn up the heat in the car." She told him, moving back to the passenger side of the car.

Quickly following her lead he got in and turned up the heat, then went to the trunk and pulled out a blanket. After getting back in he pulled the car off the curb and pulled it up under a streetlamp.

"Is he OK?" James asked?

Terry was looking the child over quickly, and passed a torn and wet blue blanket and a piece of paper over to him. Then taking the blanket James got from the trunk, wrapped him in it and started soothing him against her chest.

"Shh. It's OK Auntie Terry has you now. It'll be alright. He's OK, a scar on his head but that looks like it was starting to heal, I think he's just cold, and scared."

Nodding James began to look at the blanket Terry had passed him. The paper was stuck to the blanket, it peeled off like a giant post-it note but there was no residue, he started to read.

_Petunia,_

_I regret to inform you of the death of your sister Lily and her husband James. The Potters gave their lives last night to save young Harold James. _

_Protections have been put in place around your home that as long as Harry lives in your home you will be protected from those who sought to do your sister harm._

_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

"What the hell is this? Some kind of stupid joke?"

He read the letter to Terry and she was stunned, had this child really just lost his parents the night before, only to be dropped off with just this note and blanket on a family's doorstep and they were being threatened to take him in? Their world? A magical child? She pushed her few remaining senses toward him, yes a magical child.

"James, drive. Take us to your home."

"Terry I can't we need to take him to the Police Station. He has family out there."

"It's not that simple. Just drive I need to think."

The look on her face made him wonder, she had never led him wrong before and she looked as if she was begging him to trust her with this.

"OK, something has you spooked and I want answers, we'll get a general address and get out of here."

* * *

><p>Less than hour later they pulled into the garage behind James's home. James followed Terry into the house, Harry snuggled close on her shoulder with practiced ease. He watched as she looked around slowly. She spoke quietly.<p>

"Is there a place where I can lay him down, and we can talk?"

"The bedroom?"

"Will it be comfortable to talk there? This may take a while and I don't want him to wake alone."

"Umm. Yeah there is a sitting area in the master bedroom."

They walked into the room and Terry laid the bundle on the bed using the pillows and comforter to build small walls. She then gently leaned over and gave him a small kiss on the head.

"Please, sit James." She turned as he sat. "I'm not sure how to start this." She paused again and chewed her lip. "I know that you never really trusted or believed in my ability." She watched his reflection in the mirror, his face didn't change. She sighed at least he didn't deny it." I didn't know about it because of how I was raised but alongside our world is another, mostly hidden from view. The world of magic."

She turned to see his blank face. "It's true James I found that I was a person born with very little magic ability other than the readings, they seem to be separate somehow. I'm what is called a crossover, or in not so nice circles a squib, I carry the ability to use magic but very little ability to channel it, or medically I carry the gene for magic. My daughter though, she is a witch, and he" she said, pointing to Harry, "is a young wizard." She could see a scowl start to form on James's face. "Here let me show you."

She moved back to the bed and gathered her purse, pulling out a picture she handed it to James. It was Jane from the picture he had seen at dinner but this picture was moving? She and a few friends laughed and hugged each other in their graduation gowns then they smiled and waved at the camera.

"That's amazing!" he said while turning it over in his hands.

"I need to be really careful with that. If a non-magical got hold of it I'd be held for breaking the Magic Secrecy Accords."

"But it's OK for me to see it?"

"I think you can keep a secret." she laughed.

"I don't know the story of that child but I did know that there were some very bad times here in England. I didn't know it was a full blown war though if that note can be believed."

At that moment little Harry started to fuss. "James we are going to need some diapers tonight and a few other things. I'll make a small list" she says walking over and picking him up. "Unless you want to stay with him and I'll go."

"It,s probably best if you then go see one of your big bosses, whoever is in charge can probably point you to someone who can keep me from violating more of the accords. You need to be careful though, something is very wrong with this. No child should be left like that, take the note but please help protect him."

Soon James was on his way after dropping off the few things he could get in the early morning hours. He moves through the streets of London. Finally arriving at _Quarterdeck_ the home of Admiral Sir Miles Messervy. As he buzzes the gate he wonders if he's going insane and if M will send him off to the asylum.

After a few short moments a voice came over the box. "Yes."

"Commander Bond to see Admiral Messervy. It's important."

"One moment Sir"

"Please come up to the house."

Ten minutes later he is seated in M's office with a glass of scotch in his hand.

"This better be good Commander."

"If it wasn't I'd never bother you at home sir." Drinking the entire glass in one gulp he looks at M as he settles himself behind his large teak wood desk. "What do you know of the Magical world and their war?"

The blood drained from M's face of all the things he believed he would hear this was not one of them. With surprise still in his eyes, he replied. "More than I'd like but probably not enough. What do you know of that world James?"

"Nearly nothing. It kind of ran across me tonight."

"We need to go James, let me change and we'll take your car."

M had made a quick call and they headed into the city, and into the MI6 offices hidden within the building for Universal Exports. Along the way neither spoke. Upon arriving at M's office James saw a sight that he had never seen before, a not totally put together Miss Jane Moneypenny.

"Moneypenny, when he arrives send him in, and I need the Second World files."

She looked from M to James and back. "Sir, are you sure"

He stopped and looked at her for a second. "Yes"

With that the two men stepped into the office.

Not long after Moneypenny arrived with a large file and coffee, the man they were waiting on arrived. "Commander Bond please meet Sir Frederic Grey, Minister of Defense "

"Minister, Commander James Bond until recently one of our 00's, he's slated to move to threat assessment and agent training soon."

"Commander, I've read some of your action reports," said the Minister with a handshake. "You have an impressive record."

"Thank you sir."

"Well, M what could not be held till the morning?"

"I'm sorry but the Commander here came in contact with the Wizarding world last evening, I think he needs to be read into Second World and debriefed, before they get wind of this."

"Hmmm I agree. Tell me James, how did you come across them?"

James then went on to tell them of Solitaire's visit and message, and finding young Harry, finally he passed them the note left with the child. After reading the note both men were incensed.

"Damn that Dumbledore! What was he thinking? James that young man is already being heralded as the savior of the Wizarding World, according to their paper yesterday, and what Dumbledore and the Minister of Magic told the Prime Minister." He walked to M's desk and picked up a file and passed it to James. "Familiarize yourself with this file I'm going to do some research and speak with the PM we'll pick this up at 10:00am. M as of now and until further notice reactivate the Commander's 00 number."

James started thumbing through the file filled with pictures of oddly dressed people and background information, pausing at the odd date and description as M and the Minister had a quiet conversation. James looked up as the door to the office closed.

"James is Harry safe where he is?"

"I don't know why he wouldn't be Solitaire is with him, and May will be at the house in a couple of hours."

"We don't know how long it will be before he is missed, I agree with the Minister that something is very wrong here. Please look over the file and give us your view."

"Yes, sir. Sir these attacks? These were listed as terrorist, they were wizards?"

"Yes, that and more, their war bleeding over to our world."

With that thought ringing in his head he retreated to the secure documents area and began to read. What he read chilled him a wizard had stood beside Hitler in World War II until he was stopped by Dumbledore, but strangely was just imprisoned not killed. Then their world was quiet for a while, until the rise of Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. This war had been going on nearly ten years from what they could tell, till last night. The last pages were dedicated to what was told in a paper called the _Daily Prophet. _

It told the stories of the valiant Potters' last stand against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and the destruction of him by Harry, because of a reflected Killing Curse. Everything he read seemed to bring more questions, still he read on.

* * *

><p>May Maxwell had worked for James for a number of years and always looked forward to taking care of him when he was home, but today something was different. A woman was sitting in the kitchen feeding a giggling baby boy, something she thought she'd never see.<p>

"And who might you two be?" May asked while placing bags of groceries on the counter.

"Oh you must be May, nice to meet you. I'm Terry Summers, and this little guy is Harry James," she says helping Harry wave at May.

"He's not... um James's?"

At that Terry laughed, "No we're kind of visiting, James is at the office."

"Oh, well. Would you like some breakfast?"

"No but I'm going to need a small favor. Could you watch Harry for a couple of hours? I need to pick a couple of things up for him. They lost the bags at the airport."

"Sure dear, you get the things you need for him, do you need a cab?"

"No James left the keys to his Land Rover. I'm just going to get a quick shower and go." She said handing Harry over to May. "You be good for May now Harry" kissing him on the head.

She went to the living room to call her daughter, she knew it was late in Florida but she was the only one that she knew that might know where to go. The phone rang a few times and a sleepy voice answered.

"Hello."

"Hi sweetheart, it's Mom."

"Mom, god Mom it's early."

"I know dear but I thought I'd tell you I'm here in London, and I need to know where to go for some _**Magical**_ gifts,"

That woke Janet; her mother never went to the Magical areas unless she had too. "Umm not sure but I can ask."

"Please do dear; I'm going to head out soon to look. Can you call me right back?"

"Yeah, sure Mom. Let me write down the number."

Less than twenty minutes later Terry is on her way with the address of a pub called the _Leaky Cauldron_ in her hand.

It had been a long time since she had been to London, and now she wished she had taken the cab. Not because of the drive but because of the parking. Finally walking into the pub was almost a culture shock it was something out of the 19th Century, dingy, dark and dirty. She wouldn't drink in this place let alone eat.

"Good day miss, can I help you?"

"Yes, I'm looking for Diagon Ally?"

"Not from around here then? Name's Tom."

"Terry, no I'm visiting the area and I thought I'd see the famous Diagon Alley." Never hurts to butter up the locals she thought.

"This way then." He leads her through the pub to a brick wall and with a few taps she has really stepped back in time. She thinks to herself that time has stopped for these people, in the States the wizard world does lag behind some, but this is beyond belief. She turns to Tom and asks. "Where is your bank?"

"Gringotts, the white building far end of the alley."

"Thank you." she says as she starts down the street taking note of the stores as she passes, it's early and most are still closed. She wants to get this done quickly and be away from here before it gets too busy. She enters the bank and smiles, Goblins are amazing she thinks, here they have matched the wizard's ways to make them more comfortable but have altered it just enough to keep a warrior look even for the tellers. She approaches a small window on the other side of the room from the normal tellers.

"Honored Goblin, may your enemy's gold line your coffers"

He looks up at her and adjusts his glasses for a moment, then a slightly startled look comes over his face. "My lady, may truth light your way."

"None of that master goblin, my gift has passed to my daughter long ago."

"Still your line is to be honored. What do you need of the goblin nations?"

"Someplace to sit and talk to your chieftain, if possible and to change some currency."

"As you wish, this way please."

They passed through a door hidden from view next to his window, and down a hallway that appears to be made of dark marble. Turning this way and that she knew he was leading her the long way but that was to be expected, the bank was a fortress and these confusing halls part of the defense. It also gave them time to start checking her out she expected that she had been magically scanned, that's the goblins, verify everything. Entering a small conference room she moved to sit in one of the comfortable looking chairs. Soon an older goblin entered from the opposite side of the room.

"My lady, please do not think me rude but we would like to verify your identity, before our chieftain arrives. These are dangerous times here in England."

"So I understand, that is one of the reasons that I wish to speak to your chieftain."

Pulling out a piece of parchment from a shelf he removed a dagger from the small of his back. "Place three drops on the parchment please."

She slowly reached across the table and pricked her finger on the razor sharp blade. Three drops of blood fell onto the parchment, and it slowly bled and moved across the page. Slowly the words began to form.

Solitaire

Terry Summers

Oracle of Questions (Passed)

She smiled weakly at him. "Thank You Chieftain for the use of your blade."

"Ha, so you knew."

"No, I suspected. The blade was a tip-off, it is of exceptional quality even for a goblin blade."

"Rare for a human to know a goblin blade."

"It's not really that, I can no longer read but I can still sense the magic."

He nodded in understanding,

"I am chief Ragnarok, what do you need of the goblin kingdom?"

"What do you know of the next of my line?"

"Not much, we know that your line stays hidden to keep your gifts from being misused."

"Yes, we've had our freedom and lives taken before, but my daughter will be better prepared. I have information, and I need information, I propose a trade," - The goblin's eyes narrowed showing his interest - "but this may be incredibly volatile, and will require a goblin oath of secrecy to only speak of it to those who come to you with it first. It will allow you to keep your eyes open and be prepared."

"What things do you require in return."

"Two things, first accurate information on the state of England's wizarding world, the major figures in it, and what the goblins think. The other is a matter of honor for me, but if you do not see it as worth while I will not ask your help with it."

"Very well you have my bond as a chieftain of the goblin nation." A flash of light seals their deal as they shake hands.

"What led me to England was a reading that I was asked to deliver by my daughter, I was to deliver it to a very unusual non-magical man. I cannot repeat the reading to you, even though the reading was not for him he will be heavily affected by it. That was just the start, last night something odd happened I ran across a toddler alone in the suburban streets of south London, along with a cryptic message from one Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. That toddler was left on the doorstep of a non-magical family, whom he seemed to have wandered away from, along with a note that threatened them if they did not take him in they would die like the child's parents." The goblin's eyes just seemed to keep getting larger, "What can you tell me of Harold James Potter?"


	4. Chapter 5

I own nothing!

Read! Enjoy! Review!

Edited by the Amazing pazed!

**CHAPTER 5**

James looked over the notes he had made from the Second World Files and frowned, and took another look at the name at the top of the list.

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore: Head Mugwump (Chairman) International Confederation of Wizards (IWC), Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

If the note with Harry is true, not to be trusted.

Holds many highly respected positions in their world.

Insulated politically.

Threat assessment: **HIGH**

The entire description of their world disturbed him, a society hidden from view stuck in a different century, with little to no contact with our world. The pictures of the wizards on this side of the fence showed a complete lack of knowledge of this side. They even had trouble crossing a street.

James placed the file back in the transport bag and locked it, for the walk back to M's office. Uncharacteristic for him he did not stop for his normal banter with Moneypenny, just a nod at her as he turned to M's office. He placed the anti-tamper bag and its contents on the desk and sat. M connected the secure telephone, and dialed a number.

"Prime Minister, Ministers, 007 has arrived and has read the materials."

"007, as you have read we have little information relating to Second World. What you have read is the official files given freely from the Ministry of Magic, their government, and a few publications. Propaganda, mostly but it still shows a government that is unstable at best. We have seen many of these so-called Death Eaters acquitted, all of those come from old powerful families, and we know that the most of their targets were muggleborn, first generation magic users, trying to force blood purity. A war of bigotry nothing more.

"The Wizengamot was separated from our government at the time of Magna Carta, but was to stay under the rule of the Crown. We have accessed the private royal diaries stored securely by the Windsors, which show they were then mainly left to their own devices. By the time parliament was enacted they had mostly severed contact, attempts have been made to be sure that as citizens of England they are part of the government and follow the rule of the Crown. It has been resisted, our observers rebuked and belittled and during this war three have been killed.

"We have been offering help to deal with this Lord Voldemort and his followers, that has been refused. There has even been discussion of an armed intervention. The problem there is the International community, we would like IWC backing to help keep the Secrecy Accords but it is being blocked. By the time we hear of a meeting no one can get there. While we can understand the need not to be exploited, we cannot let them run rampant. The next IWC meeting is soon and other magical communities were going to help arrange for us to be there. With the defeat of Voldemort they are now hesitant, or are refusing. Without an imminent threat, we are going to try for a more diplomatic solution.

"You have brought us two new avenues, the first a 00 that knows of the magical world, and the young Potter. His family is important and their lineage is traced for generations into the founding of the United Kingdom. His grandfather was even a commando in the D-day invasion. They answered the call of the Crown and brought their ability even when their people wanted to stay out of the war. It was not until it was discovered that the wizard Grindelwald was rising into power parallel to Hitler, that they stepped in to help. He was defeated and _**imprisoned**_ in Nurmengard prison, by Dumbledore, his army scattered. If we can have Mr. Potter raised to respect being a citizen of the Crown he may be the bridge we are looking for.

"He will need understanding of both worlds, and because of the way their world sees him, he will need to be able to protect himself. You 007 will be his guardian, we are arranging this. The Crown also has arranged for help where we can.

"Your orders are to protect Mr. Potter, and facilitate his education until such time as you are relieved of duty. Your 00 status will stay in effect until that time."

James sat there stunned, as the line went dead. M walked around the desk and handed Bond a cigar. "Congratulations James, you're a father." With that one simple sentence James's world changed.

* * *

><p>Ragnarok rose quickly from his seat, "Please my lady, we must go quickly. Please take me and my men to him as soon as possible."<p>

Quickly following down more anonymous passages they soon were joined by a group of five more goblins, two in metal armor, one in dark leather, and two with large bags. They all put medallions around their necks and glamours of human forms covered them.

Passing quickly through the traffic she told them that there was a non-magical staying with him, they replied that that was not a problem.

Pulling into the driveway she never noticed the goblin in leather armor slip away. Entering James's home, one tossed a handful of dust into May's face and gently guided her onto the couch. They found a happy Harry playing on the floor.

"Tewy!" yelled Harry, getting up and doing a little toddler run over to her. She scooped him up and snuggled him close.

"Hi, sweety."

She moves toward Ragnarok, "Harry this is a friend of..."

"No like two Skin!" Harry covers his little eyes with his arm.

Ragnarok looked around a moment. Then let out a chuckle, and quickly removed his medallion. "It's OK Mr. Potter the two skin is gone." Harry moved his arm and clapped.

Following suit the two goblins with bags, removed their own medallions.

"He funny" says Harry as he holds out his arms toward Ragnarok. Stunned Ragnarok reaches over and ends up holding young Harry, who was busy playing with his glasses.

"Harry this is Ragnarok, he's a good friend."

"Lo' Ragrok, I Harry James Potter."

"Nice to meet you Harry James. Harry this is Grimmclaw, and this is Garbite, do you know what a healer is?" Harry nodded his head. "Well, they are healers and they want to get a good look at you, is that OK?"

"K, Ragrok." He carried Harry over to the couch and set him down, and the two healers started their examinations. He returned to Terry's side and quietly took her into the hall. "It's amazing he could see the glamour, it hurt his eyes to look at it. Probably like a bad double image. Garbite is a curse breaker, with all that has happened to him I thought it best to be thorough. I need to make a phone call, then we will talk."

* * *

><p>James was returning from the armory, having withdrawn his 00 equipment. His new assignment troubled him, he was being left to raise a child, he knew nothing of children. M thought and James agreed that at least until things quieted it would be best if Harry was out of the UK. James was to decide where to go and use the new identity for Harry and report monthly, only M was to know where they were.<p>

He walked into his office for the last time, he had shared it with Bill for years. Walking to the desk he took the final thing he needed, the picture of Tracy, out of the center drawer. Leaving a note for Bill, he went to say the hardest goodbye, Moneypenny.

"My dear Moneypenny, you I will miss most of all."

"I'll miss you too James, any idea how long it may be?"

"No, as long as need be."

"M asked me to tell you that some of the help that the PM spoke of has contacted them. They are able to help, and they are already at your home. They have a physician with them, and the documents for Harry are in this bag. Just add his picture. The last of the paperwork will be in the system by beginning of business tomorrow."

"You're a wonder."

"Your old codes are active, your call sign is _Predator, _use your delta code and response sequences. Those will change with each report. Finances will be done standard. You be careful, and take care of that boy."

"I will." He then did something he had never done before, he gathered her in his arms and hugged her. As he released her he said "Take care of this place, I'll be back." He then turned, and walked away, she held on till he was out of the door before she started to cry.

* * *

><p>"My lady, I have been in touch with the mu.. Non-magical government, we have a long standing treaty that allows the goblins to participate in the non-magical economy, by terms of that we have an interest in Harry being a bridge between the magical and non-magical worlds. It's good for business," he said with a toothy grin. "These wars are not good for anyone's gold."<p>

"We have learned that young Harry looks to have been left with Lily Potter's sister Petunia Dursley. Why he was left the way he was is unknown, and the surveillance that we dispatched reported that they did not even know that he had been abandoned there, nor of her sister's death."

Garbite came near and began to speak quietly in the goblin tongue, after a short conversation he moves back to help with Harry.

"They have multiple tracking, and monitoring charms on him. Along with bindings on his magical core, a connection to a blood ward, an emotion suppression potion is saturating his system, and his scar. There is someone he needs to see about that, the sooner the better. They are going to remove the bindings and the blood ward connection. Luckily the blood wards have not begun to charge else it would be very painful. Then they will move the monitor charms to something we can have placed in or around the Dursley home, where they will slowly fade. The potion will run its course in about a week, then he will need help to deal with his parents' deaths.

"Dumbledore is up to something, he filed an Emergency Protection Act with the Wizengamot this morning to stop the Potters' will reading, it was granted. Too bad he does not understand that the will was filed with us all he can do is stop dispersal and registration through the Ministry of Magic. It has been filed with the non-magical government.

"Due to the interference of Dumbledore the chain of guardianship has been disrupted.

"In the will that was filed there was a list of guardians, one name was not on that list - Petunia Dursley. Because of the impropriety Mr Potter has been made a ward of the Crown, and been put into Commander James Bond's care.

"We will send tutors when asked. He will need to understand the laws of the Ministry, we will help with that also.

"We are putting our faith in him and his new guardian. Please give these to Mr. Bond," he said handing a large package of papers to Terry. "It will tell how to contact myself, or someone trusted in the case of emergency. It also has the contact information for the person to look at Mr. Potter's scar."

"Thank you Ragnarok."

"I will leave the Shadow guard outside for this evening, he can summon us if need be. We wish you all the best."

After bidding young Harry goodbye the goblins gather and use a small device to teleport away.

Early the next morning finds the trio at Heathrow Airport, preparing to wing their way away from the United Kingdom.


	5. Chapter 6

I own nothing!

Read! Enjoy! Review!

Edited by the Amazing pazed!

**CHAPTER 6**

The years passed and Harry traveled with his adoptive father, he was at home in many corners of the world. He learned business, and a few other things, at the knee of his grandfather Marc-Ange Draco. Hand to hand combat with Tiger Tanaka's men. Finance, and wizard law, with his Uncle Ragnarok, and many other things along the road. He loved to travel places like the American west where he studied with the Apache people, and even Tibet where he learned the value of meditation. He could read write and speak a half dozen languages and get by in a half dozen more.

Six weeks before Harry's eleventh birthday found them moving back to England. Harry knew that he was going to be starting school in the wizarding world soon due to the need to prepare him for the future he would face.

Harry's new wand felt alive in his hand, twelve inches long, and made of Lignum Vitae (Sainted Wood), Glawackus Claw and Kitsune Hair. The maker said it was a unique and powerful combination. He had had to travel with it in the hidden area of his checked suitcase, but now at home, he felt better with it close at hand.

"You finished unpacking yet?"

"Yes"

"I want to take you with me tomorrow, people for you to meet. How are those techniques the monks taught us coming for you?"

"Good, who do I need to meet?"

"M, Moneypenny, and Q wants to get you measured."

"OK"

The weeks leading up to Harry's birthday were quiet, the only unusual thing was the arrival of the first Hogwarts letter. Harry noted down what was needed then burned the letter, another owl arrived the next day and the next, on the fifth day Harry asked the owl to take a reply.

* * *

><p>Minerva McGonagall sat down to breakfast as the post owls began bringing in the morning mail. Picking up the stack she thumbed through them smiling, new students the lot of them, Names of families both known and unknown passed by. One name caught her eye, Harold James Potter, she quickly turned it over opened it and read.<p>

_To the perpetrator of this joke,_

_Please desist! We appreciate the time put in to train these owls, but your prank has gone far enough, and it is distressing my son. Why you would wish to tease an eleven year old child is beyond me! If you do so again we will contact the Police._

_James Bond_

She sat there stunned, wasn't he with the Dursleys? Breakfast forgotten she stood and rushed to the Headmaster's office.

Albus Dumbledore sat behind his desk fiddling with one of his little brass gismos as she entered. His long beard catches on it as he looks up jerking his head, causing his half-moon glasses, that had been slid out precariously on his hooked nose, to flip off his face and onto the desk.

"Ah, Minerva, silly things not working." He picked up his glasses and placed them back on.

"Albus, what is the news of Mr. Potter?"

"I'm sure you have sent his letter by now. Have you heard back from the Dursleys?" He asked his eyes twinkling." If there had been some problem Arabella Figg would have flooed.

"Albus, have you personally checked up on him?"

He looked at her oddly. "I monitor him."

"How? Have you even seen him?"

"If something was wrong those devices would register it."

"Oh, OK, Albus. No, I've had no reply. I thought you might know so I could start to schedule his trip to Diagon Alley."

"No, but if we do not hear something before his birthday we will do something."

"Alright Albus," she said turning and walking away, already planning on finding out for herself.

Later that day Minerva left the school grounds, walking into the small wizarding town near the front gates. After a late lunch she apparated to Privet Drive, cast a light notice-me-not charm, and walked to Number 4. Knocking she lowered the charm, a very thin tight-faced woman answered the door.

"Yes?"

"Petunia Dursley?"

"Yes"

"I'm Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Petunia's face twisted with anger. "I'm here to speak with you about Harry Potter."

"Who?"

"Harry Potter, your nephew."

"I don't know who you're talking about; I haven't even spoken to my sister in eleven or twelve years. I've had no way of contacting her and she has not seen fit to call on me. Now if you don't mind I have a dinner to prepare." With that she began to close the door.

Minerva gathered her wits just before the door clicked shut. "No, wait Mrs Dursley, Petunia I have news of your sister." The door stopped but did not reopen. "Petunia, I have no idea how to tell you this I thought you were informed, Lily and James were murdered, and as far as I knew Harry was sent here to live." She hesitated not knowing how she would take the news. "Almost ten years ago."

A look of rage crossed Petunia Dursley's face.

"Ten Years! Just like you FREAKS! You take EVERYTHING, if that child had been brought here I'd have found a way to keep him from your world. You've cost my sister everything! You have even lost her child! Get out! Get away from us!" she screamed, as she collapsed onto the floor crying.

Hearing the feet of someone else in the house, Minerva McGonagall did the only thing she could think of she retreated, tears streaming down her face. She had failed two of her cubs, worse she had betrayed them by listening to that bastard Dumbledore. She apparated away, arriving at the Leaky Cauldron, she placed a glamour to hide her crying and rented a room with an excuse of new students to visit early. She sat and cried till the tears would not come any more. During the night she made a decision, from this point on she would be there for him, she would find a way to earn his forgiveness.

Early the next morning she made her way to the owl post office, she penned a note telling Albus that she needed a few days to deal with a family emergency, and that all the visitations were done till the end of the month, and she would contact him soon. Soon thereafter she was in a well-to-do area looking up at a very nice looking home belonging to one James Bond.

Steeling herself she approached the door and knocked.

"Don't worry about it May I'll get it," she heard a young voice say.

The young man that greeted her at the door surprised her. He was a little tall for his age, with a swimmer's build. His eyes shone with the color, emerald green, and intelligence of his mother while his face matched his father's, the only difference was he had somehow tamed the Potters' unruly hair. He even had the crooked grin but the scar that looked so heavy and angry when he was small was barely a line now, old and very well healed. He wore an emerald green polo shirt and khaki pants and carried what looked like a sketch book.

"Good morning Miss. May I help you?" he said.

"I hope so I am looking for a Mr Harry Potter." She saw the look of fear cross his face. "Please don't worry I need to see your family as well."

"I can call him at work, if it's important. Otherwise he'll be home at six."

"Please call him, I believe it is."

"May, we have a guest. Please follow me." Harry ushered her inside and started leading her to a parlor. As May started to speak with her and offer her refreshments Harry touched a stud hidden in the door frame that alerted James that the video and audio feeds were active and they had a guest.

"I take it you are Mr. Potter?"

"Potter-Bond."

"Potter-Bond then, I am Minerva McGonagall, I was a professor at the school your birth parents went to."

"You knew them?"

"Yes, they were very special people. Great students, better friends, let's not talk about them just yet, I think your parents deserve be here for that." Harry nodded, a little disappointed.

"It's just Dad and me, Tracy my adoptive mother passed a few years ago."

That hit Minerva hard another loss placed on such a sweet child.

"I'm sorry Harry." She looked quickly for a way to push the topic back to pleasant topics. "I see you are an artist. May I see?"

He crossed to her and handed her his pad. She was gobsmacked. They were amazing, he had true talent. "These are excellent Harry, can you tell me who they are?" He went through them with her while James was on his way, they had been chosen to show a quiet life not the world traveler Harry was. In less than an hour James walked in wearing a three piece suit. Harry moved to him and gave him a large hug. It made Minerva happy he had found a family. She sighed to herself how was she going to tell them her failures. Tears started falling down her face. James was not expecting that reaction.

"I'm so sorry, so sorry." She continued to break down. Harry returned to her side and gave her a hug, the tears then came harder. James walked quietly to the phone to report this development.

After long minutes her tears ran dry, and she began her story.

"Please, I have a story that you must hear. Harry I am Deputy Headmistress at.." she could see Harry begin to back away and James becoming angry. "I'm sorry I need to start with this. Just bear with me, magic is real." Then with a quick movement of her wand she transfigured the coffee cup into a red rose. Never coming close to touching it.

"Harry I am what is known as a witch, and you are a wizard. I am Deputy Headmistress at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Those letters were in no way a joke. When I met your parents they were just about your age, just starting Hogwarts themselves. Your father and his friends were like a tornado of trouble, they all were intelligent but loved to cause havoc as well. Strangely enough it was your mother that stood in their way the most, trying to stop their 'foolish pranks' as she said. That all changed during their fifth year. James, James was also your birth father's name, buckled down studied hard and almost matched your mother grade for grade. They were number one and two of their year.

"Your father and his friends did find time for a few pranks, but they were better thought out and funnier as well. By Christmas time of sixth year James and Lily were thick as thieves. They graduated at the top of their class, and were even Head Boy and Girl.

"As soon as school was over they were married, I know that sounds odd but we were in the middle of a war with an evil Dark Lord, we don't normally say his name but you need to hear it, Lord Voldemort. No one knows who he really was but he had many followers known as Death Eaters. Your father and his best friend became Aurors, magical police, and your mother started studying spell-crafting with a partner. Both became part of a small group that tried to help where they could, the Order of the Phoenix.

"Around a year later your mother found she was pregnant with you. Your parents were both happy, even in the midst of the war. You were a little over a year old when word got to them that you and another child had been targeted, for some reason. The Dark Lord wanted you two dead. Later it was speculated it was because of the way both families had stood against him.

"So both families went into hiding, I'm sorry but I do not know much of that time other than what was reported in the wizard news, they were betrayed and killed, you somehow survived. The next day you were at the school, our nurse seeing to the nasty scar on your head. I heard plans to leave you at Lily's sister's home Petunia Dursley, I decided to see them for myself.

"I watched them all day, and was disappointed. I told Albus that I didn't like the idea of you there. He somehow convinced me that it was for the 'Greater Good' that you grew up away from the wizarding world, and the fame of surviving the killing curse. So I watched as he took you toward the Dursley's but couldn't bear to see what was happening so I left before he got to the door." The tears had started to flow again.

"You need to understand, to everyone in the magical world Albus is a great hero, the leader of the light, almost as revered as Merlin. So I trusted him to check in on you and watch over you.

"Yesterday when I received your note Mr. Bond I figured out that something was very wrong, I confronted Albus about your condition and he gave me the standard answer that you were fine, when I pushed him further he admitted that his monitoring was with wards, charms and an agent that lived nearby. He had never personally looked in on you." The look of disgust was plain on her face.

"Yesterday, I went to see your aunt. Whatever he did he did not even speak with her, she had no idea of your name let alone that your parents had passed. She wishes that the magical world had never touched her family, and wishes you had nothing to do with it. I'm sorry Harry I failed you and your parents." Once again she was wracked with sobs.

Harry looked at James while consoling the professor, all he could do was shrug. Slowly she stopped and dried her eyes. "I'm sorry, this has me very emotional. May I ask how you found your wonderful home?"

They had discussed at length what story they were going to tell about how Harry came to live here, they told their story. "Well, Tracy and I almost ran over him in a western subdivision, he was wet and crying, in the middle of the road. He had a torn blanket, with a note attached to it. It referred to someone named Petunia, and the Potters and what was decided was his name Harold James. The Police looked for his family but none was found, and no one in the area was named Petunia."

"Tracy and I took care of Harry while the police looked, and became very attached. When they found no family, we applied to adopt him. It was the best thing we ever did," he said giving Harry a hug.

She thought to herself, how did he get so far away? Surrey is to the South. "Harry, as a young wizard you will need to attend a special school for you to learn to control your magic. It could be dangerous to yourself or others if you don't. Your parents had you put down on the Hogwarts rolls the day of your birth."

"Minerva, is this Dumbledore still the Hogwarts Headmaster?"

"Yes," she said with trepidation.

"Then Harry will not be attending. There are other schools correct?" James asked.

"Yes, they are much smaller, one is even here in London, but they offer the barest of minimums and only up to the OWLs Level. We are the only one that offers up to NEWTs. The other options are overseas. The Ministry of Magic does have laws to enforce schooling till the student has completed their OWL levels, their fifth year," she answered.

"What of his normal schooling? He will need it to be productive."

"That is possible, Lily was able to pass her certifications, she did tell me that she had to study French, History and Government in the summers, and that Arithmancy prepared her for the Maths section quite well."

"Minerva, this is something we will need to think about. You said something about magical police, could you please have one come visit us. If my son is forced to enter a world that he is a celebrity in we will need to know what precautions to take."

Nodding "I'll come with someone and introduce them to you."

"Also what kind of tuition can I expect for these schools?"

"That will be taken care of through the wizarding bank Gringotts. I'm sure the Potter family vault will cover it."

"He has money in the wizard bank?" asked James.

"Oh, yes the Potters were a very old and powerful family."

They spoke for a few more minutes and finally Minerva left promising to return the next day at tea time with someone from the Aurors department. After she disappeared with a light crack Harry looked at James with a grin.

"That went better than expected."

"Yes, yes it did." James said with a chuckle.


	6. Chapter 7

I own nothing!

Edited by the amazing pazed!

Read! Enjoy! Review!

**CHAPTER 7**

Minerva reappeared near the public entrance of the Ministry of Magic. Deciding quickly who she was going to see, she entered an old red phone booth, pushed a few buttons and was whisked to the entryway of the Ministry. She passed through security, and walked to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Waving to past students she moved to the furthest office, that of the department head Madam Amelia Bones.

Madam Bones was sitting behind her desk furiously working on the day's paperwork; she was a square-jawed witch with close-cropped gray hair and a monocle. A knock came at her door. "Come."

The door opened as Madam Bones glanced up. "Professor McGonagall, how may I help you?"

"We have a problem Amelia," she says closing the door. "Your best anti-monitor wards please," she adds with a stern voice.

Amelia looks at her oddly, and then nods. She pulls out her wand and starts casting; a couple of moments later, she places her wand back in its holster. "It's done Minnie; I take it this is not a social call."

"No Amy, I wish it was. A grave error has been made, and with what I now know I don't know how far it reaches. It may shake your faith like it has mine." She slowly told her the story of Harry Potter-Bond, including her own part in it. Once again she wept for her failure. After she finished there was silence. Minerva was hesitant to look up but did slowly; Amelia's face showed no hint of her emotions but Minerva was sure she was seething with rage. To think the great 'hero' did this to a child and that Harry Potter may not go to Hogwarts.

"Damn it Minnie!" Amelia began to pace the room. "Damn It! I'm going to check on things involving Harry here, with the goblins, and in the muggle world. I suggest you stay away from Dumbledore for now, as a matter of fact let's put you in a muggle hotel for a couple of days. I'll meet you in your room at 2:30 tomorrow. What a bloody mess. I'll tell you the truth Minnie I'm not sure I want my Susan around him." Minerva just silently nodded.

"Nor me either. I stood there and let it happen."

"Minnie," she said kneeling to look her straight in the eye." I would have done the same thing, we trusted him to do what's right. I think we have all trusted in him too much."

* * *

><p>Amelia's first stop was the Hall of Records, where she by-passed the request desk and walked into the rows of records to pull what she wanted herself. With obscurement wards up she wandered the corridors for an hour looking at random things before approaching the Potter file. What she read incensed her. Dumbledore had used his station to push through an approval to stop the reading of the Potter will, the approval was linked to the incarceration of Sirius Black. The last page caught her attention most. Sirius was put in Azkaban on the authority of Barty Crouch Sr. and she could find nothing on the trial, and the stop to the will reading was done by proxy. Proxy of Wizengamot seats held by Most Ancient and Noble Houses Black and Potter countersigned by Dumbledore as both the proxy caster and Chief Warlock. After digging through stacks of papers she found two more pages that troubled her. The first was guardianship papers that made Dumbledore Harry's magical guardian as well as physical guardian, but worded to allow him to be placed with a family of Dumbledore's choice. The other was a marriage contract to one Ginevra Weasley; it was signed the same day as the guardianship papers, November 3. Why did Dumbledore think that that was necessary? The bride price was high, 500,000 galleons, more than twice the largest she had heard of and it was very rare for these contracts to even be made anymore.<p>

Next she approached the Dursleys, it did not go well. All Amelia was sure of was that 1) the family hated the magical, 2) they had not been in contact with any of wizard kind, 3) Mrs. Dursley was mad that she wasn't allowed to know her sister was killed, 4) she thought her nephew's name was 'Barry', and 5) she could really throw a frying pan!

She was at Gringotts early the next morning, the sun had just started to light the Alley well. She walked purposefully to the head teller. "Good morning Master Teller."

He looked up from his ledger. "Madam Bones, how may I help you today?"

"I need to speak with the head of your Legal Department please."

He nodded. "Please follow Darsnik."

Soon she was sitting across from Rakkill. "I will need your discretion on this please Rakkill." He just nodded for her to continue. "Something has happened to Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore has stepped in as the magical and physical guardian, and stopped the Potters' will from being read..." she stopped speaking as Rakkill raised his hand in a stopping motion.

"Madam Bones when did Mr. Dumbledore file his paperwork for guardianship?"

"November 3, 1981"

"When did he file to stop the Potter will?

"Also, November 3"

"Then it matters not. Harry Potter was taken as a ward of the Crown November 2, 1981 for corruption of the line of custody outlined in the Potter will stemming from his abandonment on the front step of the Dursley family November 1, 1981. His adoption has been filed and even forwarded to the IWC. All titles and property have been retained. As for his magical guardian that honor was given to someone of the utmost moral fiber. Any contracts or alliances agreed to by Dumbledore are null and void. Any votes in the Wizengamot where seats held by house Potter, or any other overseen by House Potter, could shift the vote will be up for review when Mr. Potter reaches an age to accept his head of house position."

She was stunned. "How?"

"Your people forget why blood seals are used on wills filed with Gringotts, upon death of the owner the seal is broken and the will processing is started immediately. For the Potter will it was completed November 2, at the request of Her Majesty's Government with the placement with the Bond family. His magical guardianship was taken up by someone connected to Mr. Bond but whom he did not know as Magical." He smiled a toothy grin. "Have I put your fears to rest?"

"Then why are none if these things filed at the Ministry?"

"Not for lack of trying, but the magic will hold true."

They spoke for a few moments more; when she left she still had questions about what Dumbledore was up to.

Harry was in a great mood, the havoc he would start today! Even the thought made him smile. He and his father stepped through the front doors of Gringotts for the first time. He was now in his uncle's domain.

They walked to the small window to the left and were escorted to Ragnarok's office. He almost smiled when he entered but Madam Bones and Professor McGonagall were both seated in the room.

Ragnarok addressed them as they entered. "You are Harold James Potter-Bond and Mr. James Bond?"

"Yes." James answered for both of them resting his hand on Harry's shoulder.

They sat down next to Professor McGonagall and spoke hellos quietly.

"Mr. Potter-Bond, you have reached an age that will allow you to try to access your family magics and take your place as head of the Most Ancient and Noble House Potter. Do you wish to proceed?"

"Yes"

* * *

><p>Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore: Head Mugwump International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, holder of the Order of Merlin (First Class) was not having a good morning. Today was to be the reintroduction of Harry Potter to the Wizarding World, and he had wanted to send Hagrid his faithful giant game-keeper to take the young Potter to gather his supplies, but an accident with one of his 'pets' had him in the hospital wing. So it fell on Albus to do it himself.<p>

He arrived at number 4 Privet Drive and knocked on the door. He saw a curtain move, and a few moments later he heard steps coming down the hall behind the door, as it swung open he didn't get a full word out he was hit with a large Iron Pan. His left arm hung limply at his side. He gritted his teeth and cast a wandless petrification spell at her. Fumbling with his wand he cast a numbing charm on his arm and levitated Petunia into the house.

As he released her head from the spell, she began screaming and cursing at him. It took ten minutes before he figured out what she was saying. _The boy's not here, he never was. She didn't even know of her sister's death till recently. People had come here looking for Harry, and that's the only way she knew of Lily's death._

This made no sense, why wasn't Harry here? Where is he? Someone was looking for him. That would not do! He turned and left, it would be four hours till Petunia Dursley collapsed on the floor with a groan, the pain from her muscles being tense all that time would last for hours.

* * *

><p>Harry felt the magic flare when he placed the Potter family ring on his right ring finger, if the symbol of the Potter magic accepted him then he was mature enough to be head of House Potter. Its magic pulsed then settled as the ring sized to fit his finger, he was the Head of House Potter.<p>

He smiled at Madam Bones and Professor McGonagall, he and James were happy with how things had progressed after the meeting over tea the other day. Information gained from Madam Bones had shown more manipulations by Dumbledore that were hidden within the Ministry of Magic, with this one stroke it removed them, kept their secrets, and kept Terry from being known as Harry's magical guardian by removing the need of one.

They had also let the witches 'convince' them that Harry needed to step into the wizarding world and even go to Hogwarts. They had been assured that Amelia would be keeping an eye out, as well as Minerva doing the same.

"Excellent Lord Potter," said Ragnarok. "Next repeat after me. I, state your name, do hereby accept all titles, responsibilities, and honors associated to the family magic of House Potter as the head of house. So mote it be."

There was a flash of light and another ring appeared on his right hand, the index finger. As he looked at it, he heard Amelia say, "That's the heir ring of House Black, how could that be?"

"Lord Potter I will now read your parents' wills, this is just for the record, as they have already been executed, other than those matters held by the Ministry of Magic. Those will be re-filed with you as head of house, before the end of business today. Copies of the wills and account summary will be made available to you."

_This is the last will and testament of James Ryan Potter, being of sound mind and body. _

_Be it known that by alliance and connection of ancestry through Dorea Black and at the request of the head of House Black, Sirius Black has made his godson Harold James Potter heir to House Black. This is to protect House Black from destruction or dishonor. As the last Male Black it was desired as necessity to keep House Black from passing to families not deemed worthy by the current Lord Black. Lord Black asked this boon as safeguard for service as stalking-horse, to protect our secret keeper under the Fidelius Charm, Peter Pettigrew. This service was offered in brotherhood and the boon granted._

With that news Madam Bones began to fidget. The rest of the reading went smoothly, as well as that of Lily Marie Potter nee Evans. As Harry felt he had no right to contest his birth parents' requests he consented to the fulfillment as it was written. As Ragnarok finished Madam Bones was on her feet quickly and was requesting an official copy, saying quick goodbyes she almost ran from the room.

Harry's hand hurt after finishing all the paper work, he absently rubbed the back of his hand thinking that using a blood quill for the final signature to mix his blood with ink and seal the documents with magic was interesting. They followed Ragnarok to an area within the bank where carts were parked on a set of bronze colored tracks.

"Lord Potter, this is Griphook, he will take you down to your vault, your trust vault will be returned to the main vault today, and your account ledgers will be ready when you leave."

"Lord Potter..." Minerva began, Harry stopped her.

"Professor, it's still me that stuff is just for show. You are a friend."

"Very well Harry, I'll be in the lobby, the carts and I don't get along well."

"OK, we won't be long."

They watched as she walked into the main lobby.

"That will be all Griphook," spoke Ragnarok. "This way James, Harry."

They entered another conference room.

Ragnarok turned with a toothy grin. "That went well, it's good to see you my friends."

"It's good to see you as well." Then in turn they clasped arms in a warrior's handshake.

"Now that you are legal, the things that you needed from the vault will be delivered to your home, and a team of warders are there as we speak. The emergency portkeys are now on your watches, and the activation phrase is what you wished," he said handing the watches back. "And finally an _everything_ bag, my birthday gift to you. It will hold what a 10ft x 10ft room will, just reach in and think of what you need and it will come to your hand. I put 2,000 galleons - 10,000 pounds, from your account, and a duplicate set of travel documents in it."

"That's brilliant! Thank you Uncle Rags."

They settled into a quiet discussion to catch up.


	7. Chapter 8

I own nothing!

Edited by the amazing pazed!

Read! Enjoy! Review!

**CHAPTER 8**

Albus Dumbledore arrived at the Ministry of Magic building with a burst of green flames, as he walked out of the public floos, he fixed a smile on his face to hide his anger. He needed help and the closest help was here. From here he could put out feelers, and contact some of his trusted agents from the past. He was so absorbed in his own thoughts he did not even notice the building's workers were in an uproar as he walked to the office of the Chief Warlock.

* * *

><p>Amelia Bones was angry, and now with the Potter will she had what she needed to get Sirius out PROOF! As she entered the offices of the DMLE she started barking orders.<p>

"SHACKLEBOLT, MARTIN, DAVIS, with me keep up don't ask questions. I want you three to gather your partners and get Sirius Black from Azkaban and into St Mungo's under heavy guard in two hours. Give him every courtesy as head of the Ancient and Noble House Black. He is to get the best care available. If anything happens to him in your care I will personally kick your ass then take your badge. Understood?" She heard no answer so she stopped short and spun on her men. "UNDERSTOOD?"

"Yes" finally came from the three men.

"Good, Go. Everyone else find me the following people and files. Barty Crouch Sr., Albus Dumbledore, Minister Fudge, two court reporters, any files on Sirius Black, including the private files of Minister Bagnold, and every damn file in the entire building on Harold James Potter. Bring it all to conference room one. MOVE PEOPLE!" In seconds the offices of the DMLE looked like a ghost town. Every person there would rather face an angry dragon than Madam Bones in her fury.

She entered the conference room and walked to the far wall, pulled her wand out and made a duplicate of the Potter will, enlarged it till it would cover the majority of the wall showing the sections she wished and used a sticking charm to fix it to the wall. She then returned to the table in the middle of the room, and sat at the head of it facing the door.

"I was in no place to help you before Sirius, and to my shame I did not look deep enough later. Now I have proof of your innocence and I'm going to have answers!"

The first to arrive was the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, he was not used to being summoned, he did the summoning.

"Madam Bones what is the meaning of this?"

"Minister, read what is posted behind, that will start to get you caught up to where I am." She said smoothly, her eyes never left the door. "I'll explain more when the others and the information I requested arrive."

He turned to stare at the wall and started to read. "What is th- That... That's the Potter's will... Black... Oh God."

He sat heavily next to her; he did not speak to her but was working hard to figure out what had happened. The next to arrive was Barty Crouch Sr., along with a couple of Aurors, Barty quickly looked around the room his eyes moved over the document on the wall and he paled.

"Aurors please guard the door, we are getting to the bottom of this today. Barty sit."

The group with files started to come in and place them on the table. Finally a sheepish Auror entered.

"Madam Bones, Albus Dumbledore refuses, he said that he is doing something of high importance."

"I don't care we are not sitting here for our health. Take three teams with you, if he refuses again arrest him and bring him directly to me!"

He turned quickly and ran into the hall.

"I guess we will start with you, Barty. We all know the public story of Sirius Black, tell me what really happened. Why can I not find the trial paperwork?"

"I did nothing wrong, we were at war! He was found in that carnage saying that it was his fault, when he was brought in it was evident he did it, so under the _War Powers Act_ he was sent to Azkaban. Case closed."

"Was it Barty? When was his trial? Even your son got one of those! And _he_ was caught in the act! Who sat on the tribunal? Who was his advocate? Any witnesses?"

"It was the Potters, who else could have done it?"

"DID YOU NOT READ THAT? He wasn't the secret keeper! WHY would he try to kill his godson and heir? The family magic would not allow it! He is as much Black as Potter. Was he even questioned?"

"-"

"That would be NO then. Damn fine work, your zealotry may have cost that man ten years in hell. Jameson, go to records and have them pull every prisoner's file that is in Azkaban, make sure everyone that's in there has had a full trial."

She had his wand taken; he was arrested and moved to the prisoner holding cells. It was another twenty minutes till Dumbledore was escorted into the room.

"Amelia what is the meaning of this?" he asked shaking the hands of his escorting Aurors off his arms. "Minister Fudge, what's going on?"

"Look at the document behind me Dumbledore, then you try and tell me."

Albus adjusted his glasses, and looked up. A look of surprise crossed his face, then he paled.

"Where.. That's not possible. Where is he?"

"So I see what I found was true. Why did you stop this will from being registered with the Ministry?"

His eyes twinkled. "Oh so it's not the real will then, so it is of no matter"

"You're wrong Dumbledore, this will is legal and its execution was started, November 1, 1981, the day after the death of the Potters. Their will was closed with a blood seal, as per contract a copy is filed with the Ministry and oddly enough the muggle government. For those who don't know, the seal breaks on the death of the person and alerts the goblins as soon as possible and that moves it to the execution stage. What you filed to stop was really just the distribution of the estate. The will was already active."

"By what right did you try to stop the execution of the will?"

Albus stood there for a moment. "Harry needed to grow up away from the fame that his survival has brought. His parents would not have wanted him to be arrogant, or to feel that he was better than others."

"So you used Harry's own proxy to block his parents' will?"

"It was for the Greater Good."

"So who did he live with?" she asked.

That questioned worried him what did she know? "That... should not be disclosed publicly. There may still be those who wish to do him harm."

"So you have been monitoring him?"

The room was silent, as Dumbledore tried to find an answer.

After a few seconds she spoke again. "Interesting. What if I told you I sat with him this very morning?"

"Where is he Amelia? He must be protected."

"What gives you the right to decide what is right for him? His PARENTS put that decision in their will, it was never YOUR choice. He was to be with Sirius Bla-"

"He's in Azkab-"

"**Quiet!** There was a list Frank and Alice Longbottom, Xeno and Selene Lovegood, **ME!**. What did you do? You dropped him on the doorstep of Lily's sister and her husband; you didn't even talk to them! Until a few days ago she didn't even know Lily and James were dead! She thought Harry's name was Barry for Merlin's sake SHE KNEW NOTHING! The woman was a shrew, and violent she called me a Freak just for being a witch and cursed out our world. There is a very good chance that if Harry had been there it would have been an abusive environment. She even tried to hit me with a frying pan!"

"He was found wandering the streets Dumbledore, an eighteen month old. **Eighteen Months!** Pulling a blanket with a note stuck to it. I quote-

_Petunia,_

_I regret to inform you of the death of your sister Lily and her husband James. The Potters gave their lives last night to save young Harold James. _

_Protections have been put in place around your home that as long as Harry lives in your home you will be protected from those who sought to do your sister harm._

_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

You left a toddler outside, in November, at Night, and did not even talk to the Dursley family face to face. On top of that you used a veiled threat to try to get them to take him in. You arranged to hold magical and physical guardianship yourself but force someone else to raise him. You make me sick."

"What protections were on the home Dumbledore?' the Mister finally asked the man slumping dejectedly in a chair.

"Very powerful wards, but if he was never there they never took hold."

Amelia sat up at that, she only knew of one type of ward that acted like that. "You didn't, please tell me you didn't. Did you use Blood Wards?

Dumbledore looked up. "Damn you Dumbledore, what were you thinking? Those are some of the most vile things. How much training have you had as a Curse Breaker? How did you come across those things?"

Dumbledore just looked at her with curiosity. "There was a book in headmaster Dippet's things; they were set to charge off the blood relation between Petunia and Harry. Their love for each other would have powered them easily."

Amelia's jaw dropped, he didn't know. "I think you have believed your own press too long."

"Amelia, Can you explain Blood Wards to me? I don't think I've heard of them?"

"Minister, while they are quite powerful they have an extreme down side, they use a wizard to power them. He sacrifices a part of his power to charge the wards, the longer you're there the more powerful, and as a last resort they will even drain the resident wizard to keep them up once the power stored is expended. After even a few years depending on the power of the wizard, the process of removing the wards will be fatal."

Dumbledore paled, "No, it didn't say anything like that in the texts."

"Yes, Dumbledore I saw them in action, in Egypt during my internship. They have been illegal here sense 962AD. You are lucky they seemed to have dissipated over the years, finding them now and removing them after ten years would have killed him."

"That brings us to the final thing; the marriage contract with Ginevra Weasley. It's null and void. You need to tell the Weasleys that and why."

"Dumbledore, it took a lot to get his father to let him even set foot in the wizard world in England. Even more to go to school here, Harry was a hairsbreadth from going to the Salem Academy." She paused for a moment to let it sink in. "They don't trust us Dumbledore, none of us. Because of what you did. The great hero of the wizarding world failed him, and we let you do it. We listened to you. What do you think of all this Minister?"

"I agree, we have failed him, but what do we do? If it gets out to the public what Albus has done, it will tear us apart."

"We start with Sirius Black, and find out if he is guilty or not. Next I think it is time for you Dumbledore to take a step back. It is probably too late for this year, but retire from Hogwarts, and stop being Chief Warlock, be an adviser, people will seek your counsel. I think you need to separate yourself from Lord Potter as much as possible."

"Lord Potter? He took up his lordship?" Albus asked

"Yes, he did! Mostly to void that stupid contract."

"I agree with her Albus, you can do it over the next couple of years but please do not have any contact with Lord Potter. I assume they know all of this?" Amelia nods. "We can not afford to lose ether one of you. You have made many mistakes with him Albus, if they gave their proof to the press it would destroy your legacy and so much more. If he just left after taking up the lordship they would never stop looking for reasons why."

"You've made your bed it's time for you to lie in it," added Amelia.

Albus nodded. "Please tell them I will retire at the end of the year, and we will hold the elections the next year, I will stay out of the way unless his schooling absolutely demands it, even then with his head of house present. I do have one thing that needs to be returned to Lord Potter, his father's invisibility cloak. It is a family heirloom; I was studying it when they were killed. I had thought to give it back this year perhaps as a Christmas gift."

"Please, give it to me and I will return it, he and his father do not wish to have contact with you. I am not happy with keeping this secret Albus and I expect that both the Minister and I have no respect any more for you. You're getting a chance to save your reputation take it."

Albus was fuming as he left the room, how dare they challenge him! He had time! He needed a plan and quickly! His plans for the wizarding world were for the Greater Good after all!


	8. Chapter 9

I own nothing!

Edited by the amazing pazed!

Read! Enjoy! Review!

**CHAPTER 9**

The weeks before the start of term were busy, the invisibility cloak was returned, not to Harry but James. Amelia felt that his father should decide when he was to have it, as it could cause trouble. James and Harry had it checked carefully by the goblins; they found several very obscure tracking charms on it. When they were removed, it was then taken to Q for testing to see if it was of as much use against technology as it was against magic. It turns out that it was except the IR spectrum, you could see an outline if you knew what you were looking for.

Q also went through all of the other things that Harry had gotten for school. He added secret compartments to the school trunk, for weapons and other equipment even a few empty just in case. His clothing was altered for his shoulder holster that held his preferred Heckler & Koch P7 9mm pistol. His robes had hidden pockets added, one held emergency first aid, the other was left for Harry's use, everything else was cataloged and copied; even samples of the potion ingredients were taken.

Q's crowning achievement was his surveillance pods, small sound activated microphones that transmitted to the hidden recorder in Harry's trunk; they ran off the ambient magic given off by wards, he could use up to three at any given time.

Harry also was fitted for a pocket in his robes for his custom wand. It was hidden in some of the seams and Harry was impressed, though it was going to take some practice to get used to drawing it. He was still trying to get comfortable with the one he bought from Ollivander's, it didn't feel as 'alive' as his original. It was expected that he have it though so that was the one he'd use, 11 inches Holly with a phoenix feather core. Evidently it shared a parentage with Lord Voldemort's that was enough to set off alarms. The goblins looked it over but found nothing past the Ministry tracking charms.

Soon it was time, September 1 found him and James in King's Cross station at 8AM for a10 AM train. They sat on a bench eating a breakfast sandwich from one of the shops. Harry pulled a piece of bacon loose and fed it to his new friend, Hedwig, the snowy owl who Professor McGonagall promised would be more than useful. James, he, and Ragnarok had decided that all mail would pass through the goblins to guard against tracking.

This was going to be hard for them; they had been constant companions for ten years, the start and the glue of their strange family.

"It's going to be weird," Harry said.

"Yeah, it is. You going to be OK?"

"I think so, I'll miss you though."

"I'll miss you too." James chewed on his breakfast. "I'm proud of you. No matter how this started you're a Bond as well as a Potter, and I guess a Black. You may have not known her but you've got som

e of Tracy in you as well. You're our son, and I know I don't say it... I love you Harry," he says gathering him into his arms.

"Thanks Dad, I love you too."

"Harry, did you send the paperwork to Madam Bones for the proxies?"

"Yes, I got the notification that it was filed too. Madam Bones said that we can expect a package with the legislations that will be affected by my taking over the Potter and Black votes the day after the new session starts next week. Dumbledore will be expecting some of it but he doesn't know how many seats I control, and we will need to help so get it to M and company as soon as possible. She said that Sirius's trial will be the second week of October. He's not allowed mail yet, but she said that she would pass on a request; he'd like to meet us over Christmas break and he'll honor our decisions with the votes. I guess she believes him, and I think he's decided he owes us."

"If she does then I think it will be ok, but we need to be careful, the lawyers are already going over the laws that were on the books, they'll be ready."

Harry smiled. "Good."

Soon Harry was on his way to platform 9 ¾, to take his first steps into his first adventure alone.

It was always amazing to him that the wizarding world was so close to the non-magical, an entire magical area was even hidden here at King's Cross. Harry was beginning to notice some very odd things about the British magical community, something was holding them back. Most magical communities were slower to adapt, but this one was different. In other places it was more like somewhere in the mid 50's to early 60's (the Colonies were more advanced, along with Japan they were in the mid to late 80's), James had figured it had to do with the longer life span. He had told Harry that people had a hard time adapting to new things as they got older and tended to want to hold on to the past, and with lifespan in the 150+ zone wizard kind would be worse.

For a while it was thought that the new electronic age and magic would not mix, but it was found that with the introduction of plastic coated wiring, and AC current there was no problem. Just no magic use around exposed magnetic media for extended times; adding a metal case around the media could stop the deterioration. The Japanese even found that a plastic case around a device allowed normal DC operation and battery life. But they lagged so far behind here that it was in this station he saw the first evident piece of the industrial age, the steam train.

She was a beautiful old thing, Hogwarts: A History said she was built in 1936, and later converted to run on magic. He suspected it wasn't too hard of a conversion he had seen magical forges run with runes; this could be much the same thing. Maybe he'd ask.

He pushed his trolley down the empty platform. Moving just past the center he finds a baggage car and gets his trunk and Hedwig loaded. Taking his backpack he wandered the train, starting at the back and moving forward. He moved quickly taking note of how everything was laid out. Then a quick look at the platforms, he saw families begin to arrive, both by the gate he came through and a line of rooms along the far side of the platform that contained floos.

Next he decided to head for a cabin, going almost back to the baggage car Harry chose one, and pulled out his sketch pad and did a quick sketch of the platform being sure to be able to show the points of interest. Moving to the next page he did the same drawing but adding the swirl of people.

He watched the door out of the corner of eye as the sounds of people started filling the hall outside the door. People passed a few looked in all older some with friends, others looking for someone. He was soon done with his second quick sketch, and turned to the next page. The crowd was something to watch, outside parents and children saying goodbye, some with hugs and tears some with handshakes and light touches on shoulders. It was good to know some things were the same wherever you are.

There was a light knock on the door bringing his full attention to it, outside stood a pair of young women, twins of Indian descent in traditional Sari. Slowly the door opened and the pair stepped inside.

"Excuse us, I am Padma Patil, this is my sister Parvati. May we sit with you?"

Without thinking Harry stood, placed his hands together palm to palm at chest level and gave as small nod while saying, "Namaste, Miss. Patil." Turning slightly and doing the same "Namaste, Miss Patil. Please sit." He gestures to the seat across from him. "I am Harold James Potter-Bond, I know that it is not custom in Hinduism to use my first name right away so please feel free to call me Harry when you feel ready."

They looked at him with some surprise. "Mr. Potter-Bond you surprise us, you know our customs?" asked Padma.

Harry smiled, and silently berated himself, thinking fast he said with a chuckle, "That's about all I know we had a neighbor that was Hindi, she used to babysit me."

They nodded as they sat; Parvati fidgeted a few moments then asked. "I'm sorry Mr. Potter-Bond, I know it's rude, we.." Padma scowled at her. "I read all of the Harry Potter books when I was younger, and I know that they were fiction, but I really want to know your story. I'm sorry, it is so hard not to ask."

"I understand, I still can't believe that there is a series of books on my 'life', but I think there will be many people who want to know. I have been living a very normal life. I went to school had friends, I didn't even know about the magic world till the school letters started arriving, we thought it was some form of joke."

"In a way I'm glad that I didn't grow up with the fame generated by an accident."

"Do you think that is what happened?"

"Either my birth parents managed to do it, or some form of accident did. I don't know. I was a toddler and don't remember anything, and as far as I know no one else was there."

"I guess I never thought of it like that. What about your family?"

"They are amazing. My adoptive mother passed away in an auto accident a few years ago, but Dad worked hard to make sure our lives were good."

"What about you ladies, how is your family? What does your father do? Do you mind if I sketch you?" Harry asked, as the train began to move. He was surprised no one else needed to be seated here. They began their ride in comfortable conversation, the ladies asking about the non-magical world, Harry asking about their homeland and travels. The scratch of pencil on paper was soothing as the conversation continued.

Harry was taking his time with this sketch, endeavoring to learn the differences between the twins. After two hours he could see the differences in jaw line, some small beauty marks, and their mannerisms. Padma had small calluses on her writing fingers, while Parvati seemed to have more ornamentation on her sari. He smiled as he showed them the finished sketch, he said he wanted to keep this one but would do one for each of them if they wanted.

A few moments later there was a knock on the door, an older student entered. "Excuse me; I'm looking for Harry Potter." She was attractive with high cheek bones and a button nose, and short shocking pink hair.

"I am Harry Potter, may I help you?"

"Ladies, may I speak to Mr. Potter alone. Just for a few minutes, I imagine your legs could use a stretch."

"I'm sorry miss but I don't know you, and asking the Patils to leave the cabin is quite rude."

She gave him a pleading look. "If it was not important I would not ask, Mr. Potter." Drawing her wand she handed it to him handle first. "Please it is very important. You may hold on to that till we are done speaking."

Seeing that it was important enough that she would give up her wand the Patils stood. "It is not a problem, if it is that important we will gladly give you the room."

The pink-haired witch turned to the ladies. "Thank you for your understanding."

After the twins had left the room, she made sure the door was closed and secure. She then turned to him and kneeled. "Lord Potter-Black, I am Nymphadora Tonks a disowned daughter of House Black petitioning for my and my mother's return to House Black. I can see by the fact that you have the house heir ring hidden that you did not want your association known as yet, but my need is too great to allow any more time to pass." She then looked up to him with tears streaming down her face.

He was stunned, this was not a request to be taken lightly, but she had such an air of desperation. "Please sit Nymphadora." He saw her flinch at the name, as she stood she tripped and ended up face first in Harry's lap. Sputtering she struggled to climb off of him, her face was bright red and for just a second Harry thought the hair matched. She regained her feet and sat down across from him, he was trying to fight his own embarrassment, and laughter. He failed.

"HaHaHaHaHa, I'm sorry I don't mean to laugh." He kept chuckling, she joined him and some of the tension in the room released. Her laughter was like music to his ears and her smile was like a bright beacon.

Calming he looked at her and said, "From what I've read this is a serious thing, you need to understand that I was raised in the non-magical world so this is a little new to me. Nym…" She flinched again. "I gather you don't like that name, so what is it? Nymph? Dora?"

"No, my Lord. Most people call me Tonks."

"Well Tonks, what can you tell me of your situation?"

"During the war there were three sisters that were daughters of Walburga Black; she was also the mother of Sirius, and Regulus. Walburga was a blood bigot, a bad one and affected all her children. Regulus became a Death Eater. Sirius became a Gryffindor to the shame of his family, and began to live with the Potters, his name was later blasted off the family tapestry, it was her attempt to disown him, and it didn't work.

"The three daughters were to be entered into contracts for marriage, the oldest Andromeda ran away and eloped before the contract could be completed, she is my mother. The other two were quickly married off, Narcissa was married to House Malfoy, her only child Draco will be in your year. Bellatrix was married to House Lestrange. Bellatrix, her husband and his brother are in Azkaban, as convicted Death Eaters. Lucius Malfoy also was tried as a Death Eater but was acquitted.

"My mother married a muggleborn; this doubled the problems with Walburga. She made life very tough for them, and they finally moved to the muggle world for work, as accountants, after the war they started moving to the wizarding world again. A few years ago a skill of mine was noticed by some people, I am a metamorphmagus." With that announcement made he watched as she morphed into a duplicate of him.

"It is a rare ability that runs in the Black family." His voice came from her mouth, only the mannerisms were wrong. "The problem is people tend to see you as a... toy. Relationships are very hard, they want you to... change. I can't tell if they want me or my ability. Now there are families that are trying to force my parents into signing a marriage contract for me, or they will destroy their business. If you will restore us, the power of House Black will help protect us." She slowly shifted back to herself.

"How did you find out about my Lordship?"

She smiled. "There was another version of the family tree, like the tapestry. My mother has it, and when you accepted the tree updated."

"Is there some way to prove this? Something must be going to happen soon if you are not going to hold on till after Sirius's trial."

"Yes, they have given till the first weekend of October. If you will trust me with my wand I'll do the oath."

He handed her the wand. "Do you know what family it is?"

"No, but their proof was enough. My father was beaten, our house broken into, and other things."

She raised her wand and said, "On my life and my magic I do swear that the things that I have told Lord Potter-Black are true. So mote it be." There was a flash of white light and it was done. She smiled.

He nodded, released the charm so the Potter and Black rings could be seen. He started, "I Harold James Potter-Black, heir to the house of Black, holder of the house magic in the stead of Sirius Orion Black due to incapacitation, do hereby restore Andromeda Tonks nee Black, and her daughter Nymphadora Tonks to the House Black. So mote it be." With a flash the old family bonds were restored.

She jumped across the cabin at him, wrapped him in a hug, lifted him off the floor and kissed him.. hard. Not being one to refuse such a gesture he wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss in kind. For a few moments, longer than she would later even acknowledge, she was lost in the kiss, a kiss to a young man six years her junior.

Finally the kiss broke and his feet were on the floor again. She stepped away her skin flushed, and started to turn to leave. She said "Thank you Lord Potter-Black. I'd better go find my friends. I'll talk to you soon"

"It's Harry, Tonks, just Harry. I'm looking forward to it."

She moved down the hall to the nearest restroom, she stepped in, opened the small window and took a deep breath of the clean air. Her hand moved to her lips, she could feel his lips pressing to hers. For long minutes she stood and looked in the mirror.

"Wizard accountants… could be useful," Harry mused under his breath.

Lost in his thoughts, and looking out the window he hears the door open. "Welcome back ladies. I'm very…" He stops himself seeing it is not the twins. "I'm sorry I thought you were some.."

"I heard Harry Potter's on the train, are you him?" He was of average height with blond hair slicked back in a skull cap style. He was already wearing robes, but not his school uniform. His face had a sneer pasted on it, and his nose was stuck so far up in the air he'd probably drown in the rain. He was flanked by the obligatory bodyguards, real tough guy. "I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." Sticking out his hand, "You'll need me Potter, there are some wizard families that are better than others you'll not want to get mixed up with the wrong sort. I can help you there."

Smiling Harry took his hand. "I take it then that you are a business man? How is your distribution handled? Do you use zero sum balancing for finance? How do you handle international distribution? How does shipping affect your secondary price point?" The onslaught of questions caught him off guard, Harry kept pressing forward, invading his personal space, all the time using the banter to cover forcing the young man back out into the hall. He caught Padma's eye through the window she was listening to every word, he winked at her. "What do you produce? Or are you in construction? Do you need to deal with Unions? What are the tax codes like?" Draco's hand fell from his as he backed up tripping over one of his own thug's feet, Harry kept pressing forward. "Or are you in retail? What is your price point? What is your overhead like? Oh, Ms. Patil, Ms. Patil, you've returned. Have you met Draco? We'll need to continue this some other time. Ladies please." He stepped out of the way to allow the twins to enter, then went to close the door.

"You're sitting with them?" Draco sneered, "twin-"

"Stop, Mr. Malfoy," he stepped close again. "Do you have any idea who they are?" he whispered in his ear, he shook his head. "They are the daughters of Ramesh Patil, the shipping, spice, and cloth mogul, and my friends! I suggest that you learn who you are going to insult before you do it. Too bad of an infraction and your father's wares whatever they are would rot on the docks." With that he stepped back and closed the door, soon he wandered away. Harry started to chuckle.

"That was well handled Mr. Potter-Bond, but I think that you may have made an enemy," says Parvati.

"It is possible. I'm sorry that Ms. Tonks and I needed to borrow the room. She had a family request to pass along."

The twins nodded their understanding and sat. Early in the afternoon they decided to share their lunches. Pulling out the folding table they pulled their lunches out and started to open them, Harry was glad that he had chosen the chicken that was left over; at least he would not insult them by having beef. Their spread included broiled chicken, sliced tomato, lettuce, cheese, and bread from Harry's lunch, and flat bread, pickles, green chilies, a dry vegetable curry, and yogurt from the twins.

As they were beginning their meal, a knock came from the cabin door. A young woman with bushy brown hair and deep brown eyes stepped in. "Excuse me; you haven't seen a toad have you? A boy named Neville has lost one. My that looks good, pickled vegetables; I've always been a fan of ethnic cuisine. It is nice to see such good friends able to go to school together. I'm Hermione Granger." She thrust out her hand.

Harry wiped his mouth and stood, taking her hand. "Harry Potter-Bond." Her eyes widened. "My companions are Ms. Padma Patil and Ms. Parvati Patil. No we have not seen a toad, do you need help finding it?"

"I'm sure we will find it soon, Neville said he never seems to go far," she said turning to go.

"If you would like the ladies may be persuaded to share their lunches, if you and Neville would wish to join us. It would give us all a chance to get to know each other before we arrive at Hogwarts." Her eyes lit up at his suggestion. "Let's go find your friend and his toad and see if he'd like to join us, ladies please hold lunch for us."

They stepped outside and Hermione led him down a few cabins where he was introduced to Neville and his toad. Neville was on the more husky size, but looked like it was mostly what Terry called baby fat, with brown hair and a slight stutter. After introductions Hermione excused herself, asking if either one knew where the restrooms were.

"Lord N-Neville Longbottom, Lord Potter-Black. I-It's nice to meet you. O-on behalf of my grandmother I greet you as friend and ally as representative of House Longbottom," he said, reaching out tentatively to shake Harry's hand.

"I accept, and return your greeting as friend and ally Heir Longbottom, a greeting to your grandmother as well when you have a chance. With the pleasantries out of the way it's nice to meet you Neville," Harry said taking his hand and smiling.

"Longbottom, hmmm... would that be Frank and Alice?" Neville slowly nodded. "They were listed as some of my possible guardians in my parents' will! Our parents must have been great friends! I would very much like to meet them at…" Harry saw the tears begin to swell in his new friend's eyes. "I'm sorry Neville. I didn't know. I wanted so much to meet some of my parents' friends."

"I-it was a long time ago, they…they weren't killed. T-they are in the long term ward at St. Mungo's. My grandmother is taking care of me."

"If there is anything I can ever do Neville, please let me know… Neville how did you know of my taking my lordship?"

"My Gran told me. She is holding House Longbottom's proxy, she started training me to be head of House Longbottom. As one of the eight Ancient and Noble Houses we are notified when a lordship changes."

Harry almost laughed, get him on something he knows and has a passion for and his stutter disappears. "Well, I'm starting to wonder how long I'll be able to keep it from being public knowledge."

"Other families - that would be Greengrass, Abbott, Bones, McDonald, and MacDougal. The children you meet at Hogwarts may or may not know. I think that we are unique though, we both hold our lordships. The others that are at the school may not have been informed."

"I hope that they will be discreet, if they know."

"I-I think they w-will, as long as your rings are not visible." They continued to chat till Hermione returned.

"Would you like to join us in sharing our lunch with two more lovely ladies?" When Neville nodded his agreement, they collected their things and moved back toward the twins, on the way Harry gave them a quick lesson on Indian greetings and ways of address.

Soon the meal was over but still they sat and spoke of their lives. Hermione was a first generation witch, the magical children were stunned when the non magic-raised pair told of movies and TV, just as the non-magicals were amazed at the plants and animals they had never heard of. An older student dropped by about dusk to have them change into their school robes, they could not believe the amount of time spent in conversation.


	9. Chapter 10

I own nothing!

Edited by the amazing pazed!

Read! Enjoy! Review!

**CHAPTER 10**

"First years! First years, this way!" rang through the station. _Hogsmeade_, Harry stood near his new friends wondering about the name. From what Neville said this is a purely magical village, a village completely unknown to Her Majesty's Government. They approached the voice; it came from a very large man, almost ten feet tall and a broad chest to match, with shaggy black hair and a heavy beard. Dressed in a brown greatcoat of some sort of fur, dark clothes and black boots he was an imposing figure. If it was not for his sparkling happy eyes he would inspire fear, as it was he gave everyone a feeling of relaxed happiness and calm. "Don't be worin bout yer trunks an stuff. It'll all be sent up to the castle."

"R'ght then, I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds 'ere at Hogwarts. Follow me."

He led them on a rolling path down and away from the town and the older students. A short walk later they arrived at a small cove that contained a dozen row boats. "Four ta the boat, no more than four ta the boat," Hagrid said. Harry loaded his new friends in a boat of their own, and joined a new group. They barely exchanged names when the boats began to move on their own. Rounding the corner out of the cove Harry saw a sight that he was sure would stay with him till his dying day, Hogwarts in all its majesty standing proud on a small cliff next to the lake. It was beautiful; the castle was silhouetted against the moon, windows lit up with a golden glow. It felt peaceful, it felt almost like…

He had been so caught up in his own thoughts he didn't realise that they had arrived. "'ust follow the path up," Hagrid instructed, as he spoke lanterns lit their path flowing up to the castle. Harry quickly rejoined the others.

"So what do you think so far Harry?" asked Hermione.

"Brilliant!" smiled Harry.

After being handed over to Professor McGonagall at the front gate they were led through the entry way and across the court yard into the heart of the grand old castle, the entire time Hermione gave a constant narrative to her new friends, facts about the castle just poured out of her. Truthfully, Harry was impressed, if she put so much time and study into this what else would she be capable of. If he introduced her to Q… No that may just be a bad thing, REALLY bad.

"Before sorting you into your houses, Professor Dumbledore has some announcements," said Professor McGonagall yielding the podium to him.

Harry half-tuned him out, both listening and scanning the faculty table, an oily black-haired man with a heavily hooked nose, a nervous man in a turban, a small plump woman with dirt under her fingernails and ground into her robes, a woman with short white hair and eyes that reminded him of a hawk, a half-goblin with a large happy smile, and others. He was shaken from his thoughts by Dumbledore's last announcement.

"…and the third floor hallway on the right-hand side is out of bounds, to those who do not wish to die a most painful death." Harry almost laughed at this, but he saw McGonagall wince, she looked pained, her eyes flickered to Harry and off almost fast enough that Harry nearly missed it.

Dumbledore returned to his seat and McGonagall placed a stool in the middle of the dais and on it sat an old tattered wizard's hat. A moment later a seam split open on the front and it began to sing.

Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,  
>But don't judge on what you see,<br>I'll eat myself if you can find  
>A smarter hat than me.<br>You can keep your bowlers black,  
>Your top hats sleek and tall,<br>For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
>And I can cap them all.<br>There's nothing hidden in your head  
>The Sorting Hat can't see,<br>So try me on and I will tell you  
>Where you ought to be.<br>You might belong in Gryffindor,  
>Where dwell brave of heart,<br>Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
>Set Gryffindors apart;<br>You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
>Where they are just and loyal,<br>Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
>And unafraid of toil;<br>Or yet wise old Ravenclaw,  
>If you've a ready mind,<br>Where those of wit and learning,  
>Will always find their kind;<br>Or perhaps in Slytherin  
>You'll make your real friends,<br>Those cunning folk use any means  
>To achieve their ends.<br>So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
>And you won't get in a flap!<br>You're safe in my hands (though I have none)  
>For I'm a Thinking Cap!<p>

As the sorting progressed Harry started a mental list of names and houses that he needed to remember, Hannah Abbott: Hufflepuff, Susan Bones: Hufflepuff, Hermione Granger: Gryffindor, Daphne Greengrass: Slytherin, Neville Longbottom: Gryffindor, Isobel MacDougal: Ravenclaw, Draco Malfoy: Slytherin, Padma Patil: Ravenclaw, Parvati Patil: Gryffindor, and..

"Harry Potter-Bond"

Harry walked to the stool, all the time watch ing reactions, most seemed anxious, a few just interested, and a couple, the best he could decide on was, predatory. He sat, McGonagall looked down at him with a small smile, but her eyes seemed sad. The hat settled on his head almost covering his eyes, he felt a presence in his mind and turned his mind inward.

"Well, Lord Potter-Black-Bond welcome to Hogwarts. A lot more than you seem, bravery, intelligence, loyalty, and cunning all you have.

"Your cunning is well honed, your family teaches you well. If in Slytherin you were many secrets you would learn, being there could help you attain your goals.

"Your loyalty is without bounds once earned, Queen and crown may always command where that loyalty lies. There in Hufflepuff, will be friends that will work with you to achieve your goals.

"Your intelligence is hard-won, you understand the need to temper intelligence with wisdom. There in Ravenclaw, you will unearth the tools to find your way.

"Your bravery, oh my how it shines, willing to take on any challenge. There in Gryffindor, you will find ways to stand for what you believe.

"All of them in you, it is rare to find one that combines each of the base traits of the houses so well. Slytherins's cunning and ambition, Hufflepuff's loyalty and work ethic, Ravenclaw's wit and learning and Gryffindor's nobility and bravery. I usually find one or two traits but to balance all four."

"May I ask who you are?" asked Harry.

"Hm, perceptive too! It's been many years since anyone noticed me. Worry not any secrets you have will be lost to me as soon as I am removed from your head, as to your question I have no name only the purposes given by the founders, alas the only ones left to me now are the song and the sorting."

"Well it's hard to address you with no name. How 'bout I give you one?" There was a long pause.

"I'll call you Winston."

"Winston, I-I thank you young man. I've made my decision… Better be…

"GRYFFINDOR" rang out across the hall.

"Thank you, Winston" Harry whispered.

"WE GOT POTTER…. WE GOT POTTER" rang out from the table Harry was walking to, where he sat with Hermione on one side and Padma on the other. He smiled at Parvati at the next table.

One of the last names caught his attention: Weasley, Ron Weasley, Gryffindor. The red head looked relieved as he ran to the table to be congratulated by three other red heads. Brothers he thought. Weasley? That was the name on that marriage contract. Great…

With some final nonsense words, that made Harry wonder, Dumbledore had them tuck in to dinner. Plates filled with food appeared on the table, and he heard Padma groan. Sitting in front of her was a large plate of beef, quickly Harry helped her up and moved her toward the door, he heard Hermione move behind him. "Hermione could you check on Ms. Patil? Same thing may have happened to her."

"Sure Harry." She moved quickly to the Ravenclaw table.

Outside the hall Harry moved her near the open windows. "Ms. Patil, are you ok?" came from a concerned voice exiting the hall.

"I think she'll be fine in a moment Professor McGonagall, can you help Hermione with her sister?"

"Of course Mr. Potter," she said turning, only to see Neville and Hermione helping the young lady in question out of the door. "Ms. Granger, Mr. Longbottom, I will look after the Patils please return to your meal."

They both look past the professor at Harry who nods, something that is not lost on the older witch.

"Of course Professor," answers Hermione, they quickly turn and pass back into the hall.

"Ladies may I ask what has you so ill?"

"Professor?" asks Harry. "What do you know of the Hindu religion?"

"Hindu, Mr. Potter I'm not sure.."

"The ladies, Professor, they are Hindu, in their religion cattle are sacred. They are to be revered. Having a large plate pop in full... well it was probably overwhelming."

"Albus!" she said under her breath. "I was not informed of any restrictions as such, I'm sorry the person that was in charge of checking dietary restrictions of our new students missed the ones necessitated by your religion. I will inform the kitchen and any dishes containing beef will be placed away from you."

"Thank you professor," the twins answer in unison. "Thank you Harry." He smiles at them.'

"Any time ladies."

Professor McGonagall left them with Harry while she made arrangements. The new friends sat quietly breathing the fresh air. The night was calm outside the lake reflecting the moon with almost mirror-like precision.

"A beautiful view to share with such pleasant company." Both girls smiled at him.

"Ms. Patil everything has been arranged, you can return to your meals."

"Thank you Professor." They began to move as a group toward the hall.

"Mr. Potter a word."

"Mr. Potter, thank you for helping them. I'm impressed with your knowledge."

"Don't be, we had a neighbor that was Hindu, she was the occasional babysitter."

"Still, thank you for paying attention, I want all of the students to be comfortable and safe here."

She then turned and walked away, he thought she wanted to say more, maybe he was wrong.

A pair of the eldest students, seventh year group leaders or prefects, led the newly christened Gryffindors through the halls. It was quite confusing. They were told; some of the stair cases moved, some went nowhere some led to walls pretending to be doors, even worse were areas that may only be available on some days of the week. They were assured that they will get the hang of it.

"You'd think they'd give us a map," Harry said under his breath, Hermione nodded her head in agreement.

After winding their way to one of the towers, they arrived at the portrait of a rather, shapely woman.

"_Caput Draconis,_ that will be the password to enter the tower for the next week, it will be reset after that and you will be told the new one. Tell no one the password." The prefect then turns and enters the passage that was revealed as the portrait swung out of the way.

Harry hung back as the others entered, stepping around to the front of the portrait, Harry asked, "Miss, may I ask your name? The prefect seems to have neglected to tell us that."

"Aren't you sweet? They call me the fat lady."

Harry's face screwed up. "I will not disrespect a beautiful woman like that! May I please be allowed to address you another way?"

She was stunned; no one had asked her name in ages. "Elizabeth French, young man. May I ask you yours?"

"Harry Potter-Bond, I am pleased to meet you."

"And I you young Harry." He smiled a lopsided grin at her and entered the passage.

"-'ll get your class time tables in the morning, curfew is in effect as of now and will be 10:00pm till 6:00am. Your dorms are up the stairs boys on the left girls on the right your year is on the door and your trunks are at the foot of your bed. Those beds will be yours for your length of stay at Hogwarts. Seventh year prefect rooms are at the end of the hall. Last, if you cannot find one of the prefects you can contact Professor McGonagall by pulling one of the golden cords by the doors or the entrance, it is for emergencies only! All right off to bed! Breakfast starts at 6:30"

Harry's watch chimed at 4:30am, years of the same schedule had him awake just before it. Quickly he gathered his things and moved to the bathroom, the one place he had noticed so far that had no portraits.

He wasn't sure that a wizard would think of using them for security but he would, so no reason taking the chance. He quickly goes over the equipment, he planned to carry one of the microphones, trauma kit, good wand, other wand, knife, pocket knife, and emergency beacon. He really wanted to carry his pistol but Hermione kept hugging him, he'd need to ask Q for a different holster. Finishing his checks he did his workout, grabbed a shower and was back in the room by 5:30.

Soon he was in the common room, writing to his father; the second note would hide the first. The first was written with a pen from Q, with a twist it would go from standard black ink to an invisible one that must be placed in a developer solution then viewed under an ultraviolet lamp, it had taken a month to get used to writing something you can't see.

Explaining his trip, telling what he learned and the odd warning from Dumbledore, ate up the time. Just as he was finishing up the second and visible note he heard someone coming down the stairs, he looked up to see his bushy-haired new friend.

"Good morning, Hermione."

She jumped a little. "Harry! Goodness you startled me. Are you an early riser? Or are you just anxious like me?"

"A little of both. Care to go to the owlery with me? Dropping a letter to my dad."

"Guess it couldn't hurt, do you have some extra paper? I could send one to my parents too."


	10. Chapter 11

I own nothing!

Edited by the amazing pazed!

Read! Enjoy! Review!

**CHAPTER 11**

James smiled; he'd been back in the Universal Exports building for five weeks, and it was good to be home. Some things had changed some remained the same. M had quietly informed James that he was soon to retire, after the New Year he would start preparing his replacement, Barbara Mawdsley. She had been in Command and Control for a long time as its director, and from what James had heard she seemed a solid choice.

Bill Tanner, James's long-time friend was moving to the second spot as Director of Operations. As for James, he would be in charge of Special Operations, and he was to oversee Operational Readiness of the 00's, unofficially he was to be the expert on the Second World as well. Both Bill and the new M were to be read into the Second World file in early summer, when they could meet Harry.

Currently he was in Q branch looking over the upgrades that had been done to his new Jaguar XJ-S. A beautiful blond in a lab coat and with her hair twisted up into a messy bun, and held in place with a pair of pencils entered the room with a large stack of binders. She was grumbling, "Oh, Ann, just grab those things and take them in to 007, and what do you do? _Sure Major Boothroyd, I'd be happy to._ You were so excited to meet the famous 007 that you didn't look at the stack of crap the man wanted you to move."

James smiled to himself and quietly stood as he slid out of the driver's seat, and watched as she approached the table along the far wall. She never even looked his way, with a grin James said, "Well aren't you just the Q'ute?"

She let out a yelp as the binders spilled across the table, she spun eyes wide. "007! I'm sorry, I didn't notice you. What did you call me?"

"Q'ute, you're the Q section cutie. I take it those are for the Jag?"

"Yes," She harrumphed, "but I imagine you are familiar with most of the defenses. We have increased the homer's range by almost three times, so you now have an eighty mile range. I added a quick deployment version of the homer; five can be fired from the front and rear, range of 100 yards. They will stick to most anything, but be careful they may not stick in heavy rain. It is also hooked into the new G2 mobile phone system, one hand set is in the center console and the main phone is in the boot and is removable if you need, and it's encrypted. If your son's emergency beacon activates, you will be alerted by a red light on the gauge cluster."

"Yes, and if you pay attention it will only take till dinner to check you out on the other systems," said Q entering the room. "I have some of the surveillance pods ready. The transmitting range on them will get them to the monitor station outside the Ministry."

"I just need to figure out how to get them in." James resigned himself and started to go over the new defense systems.

* * *

><p>Life was good; she sat under a beautiful sky, in the shade of a cabana watching her daughter, her daughter's husband, and their little ones playing in the surf. Janet and Mark had been married almost five years, and Rachel was born almost ten month later, followed by the twins Jason and James a little over a year later.<p>

Life had been quiet lately, she had sold her home and then her shops, for a good profit, about two years ago to be able to move in and help with the twins. Both of their parents were now in stable careers, Mark as an Architect and Janet had finished her residency. Only one thing could make it better in her mind, James. She had seen him for at least a few weeks every year since Harry had come into their lives, she even thought of Harry as her son. She missed him, missed them both.

"Grandma, come play with us!" Rachel pulled at her arm. Relenting she stood and followed her to the tide pool her parents and the twins were playing in.

"Grandma," the twins said in unison, "make a sandcastle with us!" The family settled in and started work at the edge of the water.

After about ten minutes, Rachel stood and walked to her grandmother. "It is time, your paths converge. Go to him." Then she returned to her work. The adults looked at each other; they stood and walked a short distance from the children.

"What do you think that means?" asked Mark.

"It means Mom's dream is coming true dear, she is going to my father. I'm so happy for you Mom!" She gathered her mother in a hug.

By the end of the day the flight was booked and she was getting packed. She had made up her mind, she was going to get her dream!

* * *

><p>"James! Have you heard from my grandson yet?"<p>

"Not yet Marc-Ange, but the homer was traced to Scotland. His school is in a valley, about seven miles from a railway. I know he could make it out on his own but I'd like to set up a couple of fall back areas for him to use within a couple of miles of the school, emergency medical supplies, food, water, weapons, and communications gear."

"A wise precaution my boy, if you can arrange the permits, we can use my construction company as a front to get supplies to the area. Say it is for better mobile phones and communications for the railroad. We will hide a bunker near the new towers."

"That will make them visible from a good distance too. Done, I'll get the permits you get on what you'll need. Add one of those little motor bikes that he likes to each cache, just in case. I'll contact some of my other friends to 'help' with the excavation and security."

"James I do not like that we do need to do this. He could have gone to school elsewhere."

"We gave him the choice; I think we both rubbed off on him."

"Hmmp.. Yes, he is head strong just like our Tracy, and us, once he understood what was asked of him it was a challenge he fell in love with."

"I hope we have taught him well."

"We have my boy. James, I know you may not have wanted this life for him, but it is now his. We will be there if need be. On a little different note, I am changing my will. Everything will go to Harry when I am gone. As far as my people are concerned he is known as your and Tracy's son, they respect you and are impressed by Harry."

"He won't like some of the aspects of your business."

"Ha.. Never underestimate that boy, he knows what I do. He understands why I do it just like he understands yours_._"

"How long has he known?"

"The Majorca job, he saw what we did and wanted to know why, and I told him. Just like what you do James, I do what is best for my people. I will not let anyone hurt them. We are as alike as we are different."

"I know, I just hoped to keep him away from some things till he was older. I'm sure he will be honored to know you have faith in him."

"I have faith in both of you."

* * *

><p>"Director Ragnarok, the object was removed this yesterday morning, September 1st, from vault 713."<p>

"So the thief's information was bad, do you have any idea how the thief got in?"

"We found the bodies of several of our kinsman along the way from our private entrance. How someone other than a goblin gained entrance is under investigation."

"Very well do we know what the object was in vault 713?"

"No Director, it was small, and wrapped in parchment."

"Who retrieved the package? Who was the vault registered to? How long had we held it?"

Flipping through his ledger the goblin began to speak. "It arrived on.. June 23rd, the vault was requested through the Ministry, with special access by order of Albus Dumbledore... his man Rubeus Hagrid collected the object. Junior Teller Griphook took him to the vault."

'Why would someone brave our security for such an object? 713 is high security but not our best. If it was important enough for a thief to brave entry, it needed to be in a deep vault not one with easier access.' The Director shook himself from thought. "Very well keep me informed on the investigation, make sure that the bodies are handled with utmost care. I want to know each one of their names and how they were killed before I meet with their families. Have you questioned all of the guards that were on duty when Rubeus Hagrid was here? It is possible he said something to someone else."

"Yes Director, he was heard on the way out speaking to himself, 'there is no place safer than Hogwarts.'"

"Interesting, rather than make use of our best defenses, he had it moved to Hogwarts. That was quite the insult as well… tell me have any we had any.. unusual visitors? Reporters? Officials?"

"Yes Director several reporters from the Daily Prophet have been in and out asking questions, along with a couple of Ministry officials. They had heard rumors of an attempt by a thief."

"Someone informed them, I want everyone reminded that this news stays in these walls. Gather our security heads; we are going to improve our security, thank you."

As the Director returned to his paperwork a buzz alerted him that Harry's owl had arrived, shortly a young goblin entered with the letter. Dismissing the goblin, he pulled a box from his desk's lower drawer and opened the lid, he unfolded Harry's letter and put it flat on his desk. Next he pulled out a small tri-pod and placed it over the paper, on top of it he snapped on a small camera that pointed down. After taking a photo of each page he sat back and read the letter himself. He smiled, the pages were full of descriptions of his trip, Harry was the perfect babbling youngling, the Director knew better.

Returning the papers to the desk, he pulled out a small aerosol can and sprayed each page carefully. Slowly the ink disappeared; as that was happening he pulled out a light and clipped it to the holder on the tri-pod. Sliding the papers back under the camera he checked that he could see the glowing letters well and snapped several pictures. After removing the film from the camera he placed everything but the light back in the box, he then sat back and used the light to read the real letter.

He made notes to look at the files on the families listed, he expected the non-magical government to want copies, and he would have them ready once the paperwork was filed. The Tonks family was different now that they were part of the Black family it could be passed along because Harry requested it, and the Granger family did not have an account with them, or their non-magical branch. Perhaps they will approach them if they proved to be friends of Harry's.

The last thing he saw bothered him, 'Dumbledore said and I quote, "…and the third floor hallway on the right-hand side is out of bounds, to those who do not wish to die a most painful death."' He needed to get in touch with James quickly. It seems that either he is trying to protect something he deems valuable, or he is baiting a trap. Either way announcing that was like saying there was profit to be had to a goblin, and to do it in a place full of their young! The man was mad!

After burning the originals he repacked the box and put it away, he picked up the film and headed out of his office.


	11. Chapter 12

I own nothing!

Edited by the amazing pazed!

Read! Enjoy! Review!

**CHAPTER 12**

The first half of the classes were going quite well for the group of Gryffindors, they all still chuckled when they thought of Professor Flitwick as he squeaked and fell off the stack of books he was using as a pedestal when he was surprised in class. Harry had paid special attention to the small man after that stunt; he had done it on purpose and used it as an ice breaker to relax the nervous tension in the class. The little man was much more than he seemed.

Herbology proved to be both interesting and disturbing, the idea that a plant root, Mandrake, looked like an ugly baby and the screams of a mature one could kill told them this was not an area to be taken lightly as most of the school seemed to. Professor Sprout was a bubbly happy woman, who could handle even the most difficult of plants; she made it a firm rule that all students were to stay out of Greenhouse Three without her as that is where the active and/or carnivorous plants were. They were even given a demonstration of what was meant by 'active' when she showed them a cutting of a plant called Devil's Snare; after going over some basic knowledge she placed her hand in the pot and the tendrils wrapped around her hand, as long as you were slow and smooth you could remove it, but struggle.. she proved that with a piece of hickory that it crushed.

Astronomy just confused Harry, the telescope they were told to buy was beautiful, made of copper and bronze, but his dad's spotting scope was more powerful and half the size. With the introduction of the Hubble Telescope the non-magical world had seen farther than they could dream, on the other hand the path of the moon and some other things could affect the art of potions or even some spells. Harry wondered if the increased knowledge could improve the process or make it worse.

Professor McGonagall taught Transfiguration, or the changing of an object. These changes, other than 'banishment', were not permanent but could last as long as the magic user kept supplying power, or for a time that was directly proportionate to the amount he/she pushed into it when it was cast. They started with matches into needles, you needed to really understand the object you were transforming into. A major part of the instruction was how to understand and visualize what you wanted to create.

It was the other three that proved to be a problem. First was Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Quirrell was afraid of his own shadow, his stutter had become so bad he was almost unintelligible, not to mention he stunk of garlic and something sickeningly sweet.

Next on the list was Professor Binns, that class was just ridiculous. He was a ghost that didn't even know he was dead, and his lectures were the book word for word. They all thought Hermione was going to either cry or kill someone for wasting her time when they showed her. It was quickly becoming a self-study class for them.

Finally, there was Potions. From their first seconds in the class they figured out that it was going to be bad for them but hell for Harry. It seemed that Professor Snape had a personal grudge against him for some reason.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death - if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

Harry played the recording for the third time, he did not want anything to be missed in his transcription of what Snape had said. He was glad that he had made the decision to record his first class with each professor. The others he was not too concerned with but Snape's venom put him on edge. He went on to describe the questions that Snape had put to him as the new 'celebrity'.

"What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"  
>"Where would you look if I told you to go find me a bezoar?"<br>"What's the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

It aggravated him that he had to play down what little he did know, but other than the question about the bezoar, he knew that they were not in the first year books. Only Hermione had raised her hand for all of them. He wasn't really angry about it, he knew he could stand the pressure from the man, but Neville was already bad enough that he added the wrong ingredient and ended up in the hospital wing with boils on his face, hands and arms.

Harry sighed as he lay back after putting everything away; he needed to stretch out before beginning his day. He smiled it was good to finally be able to use magic. He had been grounded in the theory of casting but had not been allowed to cast anything other than the light spell, 'lumos'. Everyone had told him it was not recommended to use much focused magic before the first stage of the magic core's stabilization. That was almost always by the age of ten, but most withheld wand or other focusing help till the age of eleven. The second stage is puberty, and the last is core maturity around age sixteen, give or take a month or so.

He rolled out of bed, and was assaulted again by the Weasley snoring. He wasn't a bad person, a little obsessed with Quidditch, but the snoring! It was like an earthquake between him and Neville. Thankfully Neville had a stone that was to be placed under his bed that silenced his, he originally forgot to pack it, his Grandmother sent it a couple of days later. Professor Babbling was making another for Weasley, in the meantime Professor McGonagall came by each night and cast silencing charms on all of the bed curtains; this really didn't help if they weren't closed!

After pulling the curtains closed he retrieved his clothes and things and moved to the bathroom, he had gone to bed earlier than normal saying he wasn't feeling well. It was almost 1:00am now and time to look over this castle. He had spent the week checking the prefect schedule and they would be back shortly. After dressing he pulled open the Velcro lining of his cloak and exposed his birth father's invisibility cloak, a few tugs later he disappeared and went to stand near the main entrance of the common room. As the prefects stepped in he passed them and entered the hall before the portrait could close. He then began his work, mapping the interior of the castle. Harry figured that he had until 6:00am possibly later since it was Sunday and breakfast would be an hour later.

As he was mapping the charms corridor he found Hagrid moving through the halls with three large bags of what Harry thought smelled like meat. Following him he entered the restricted area of the castle, he followed.

Hagrid opened a door at the end of the corridor, Harry saw the flash of something large moving behind it. "Ho, Fluffy! Down boy! Got yer dinner right here! Back! Back! Good boy!"

Harry approached the door before he could get the door closed and blocked it from closing with the blade of his knife. It thumped against it lightly and Harry opened the door just enough to see through the space in the door jamb on the other side. His jaw dropped, it was a giant three-headed dog, from somewhere in his mind came the name Cerberus, and it was playing with Hagrid. Well maybe playing was the wrong word; if it was Harry in there he thought he would be missing limbs from the way that thing plays. He watched until Hagrid pulled out a flute and started to play, 'Fluffy' was soon curled up on the floor asleep. Hagrid picked up the bags and walked through the door and right past Harry. He continued to play his flute for a few more steps, as soon as he stopped he heard 'Fluffy' moving around again.

The mapping took the remainder of the night, but he was standing near the entrance when Professor McGonagall came into view. He cursed under his breath as she said good morning to Mrs. French.

"Is anyone out?"

"No it has been quiet."

"Good, thank you"

Harry followed her in, trying to match his foot fall with hers he followed her into the boy's area, making a decision quickly he turned for the bathroom. As soon as he was in the restroom he flipped off his cloak, quickly re-hid the invisibility cloak, wet his hair, grabbed a towel and walked normally to his room drying his hair.

"Mr. Potter-Bond, you are up early this morning," came a voice from in front of him.

He jumped. "Crap, Professor! Don't scare a person like that!"

"Language, Mr Potter-Bond! May I ask why you are up so early on a Sunday? Most of our students kip in on Sundays."

"Oh, sorry, I did ma'am. I'm up at around 5:30 most mornings 6:00 is late for me. I usually use the time to draw. I would think that Hermione is up as well, she is usually reading, she even quizzes me on the day's reading, Ms. Patil has been there the last couple of mornings too."

"Then I hope to see the results of the work you are doing in all of your scores."

"I think you will Professor. Is there anything I can help you with this morning?"

"No, you just do what you had planned, and.." Once again that look flitted over her eyes, "stay out of trouble."

"Yes Ma'am." This time he was sure she wanted to say something and either changed her mind.. or.. _she couldn't_ he thought. He really needed more surveillance pods, and had to find an excuse to get one in the Headmaster's office.

Once in the common room Harry drew a picture of Hogwarts on the page with both his transcription and the map, he would post it at some point today.

It was early the next week when Harry received word that the laws that his proxy may have influenced, were under review by Her Majesty's Government, along with Madam Bones's recommendations. Harry wished them luck digging their way through what was described to Harry as the largest damn telephone books they had ever seen.

Sirius's trial went about how Madam Bones expected, he was acquitted, Barty Crouch Sr. was removed from his post and his assets seized. During the seizure, his son Barty Jr., a convicted Death Eater, was discovered under imperious curse in his home, instead of dead as the records indicated. This led to an investigation that would put both Crouch men in Azkaban. As for Dumbledore, he was heavily fined for misuse of power and quietly reprimanded for his part. From what Ragnarok had learned from the paperwork the tribunal had been sworn to secrecy and the trial sealed.

He asked his father, in one of the letters, to pass on a request for a meeting with Madam Bones after the current session to discuss it and to affix his house seal to the signatures. She replied that it was acceptable and would arrive on the 31st at 4:00 in the afternoon to speak with him.

The rest of the month flew by, the 31st found them in Charms class, sharing with the Hufflepuffs. They had been studying a levitation charm to finish up the class.

"Wingardium leviosar!" yelled Ron while swinging his wand like a flyswatter.

"Stop, stop, stop!" objected Hermione and Parvati.

"You're going to take someone's eye out. Besides, you're saying it wrong. It's Levi-O-sa, not Levios-AR!" Grabbing his hand to keep him from hitting her.

With that Professor Flitwick dismissed the class. Ron was pushing his way past the two girls when Harry heard him say, "YOU TWO ARE MENTAL! No wonder no one likes you! Everyone only puts up with you because you are Potter's Pets!"

Hearing this Harry's anger boiled over, he chased down the offending red head and pushed him against the wall. "HOW DARE YOU! How dare you say something like that to a woman! Especially when they were trying to help you! How would you like it if someone said something like that to your mother or your sister? I respect them because they are nice and very intelligent women that work very hard to do well. All you can do is talk about Quidditch and stuff your face! I'm also betting that if you talked to most the house they are much better liked than you. I suggest you apologise the first chance you get!" He turned and stormed away leaving a very shaken Ron standing in the hall.

He quickly found Padma. "Padma, I'd do it myself but Madam Bones will be here shortly, can you go look for Hermione and Parvati? Ron Weasley said some things that really bothered them. Send word to Neville when you find them, and try to get them to calm down. Remind them they have good friends, and that Ron is an idiot."

"Sure Harry."

"Madam Bones, to what do I owe this visit?" Albus asks as she steps from the floo in his office.

"I am here to speak with Lord Potter, Dumbledore. Please have him escorted here."

"Of course Madam Bones, nothing is amiss I trust?"

"Nothing you need to worry yourself with, depending on when we finish I may stay to have dinner with Susan."

"But of course, please feel free to use my office." He said with a twinkle in his eye. "Dill?" A small figure popped into the room. It had long pointed ears and large bulbous eyes and looked to be dressed in a cloth flour sack. "Please have a professor escort Mr. Potter to my office."

"Right away, sir."

"Lemon drop?"

"No, thank you."

A scant few minutes later Harry was escorted in by Professor Vector. "Thank you Professor, I look forward to your class, it sounds fascinating."

"Thank you Mr. Potter. Albus, Madam Bones. Good evening." She turned and left the room.

Madam Bones did not begin to speak and just kept a stern look on Dumbledore.

"Ah.. Well I'll leave you and Mr. Potter to talk." and followed Professor Vector.

"Well, A.." Harry began, but Amelia snapped up her hand and stopped him short. Taking out her wand she started casting. Objects all around the room began to light up. Her nose wrinkled as she grimaced and began to cast again.

Taking the chance offered Harry palmed one of the surveillance pods, and attached it to the underside of Dumbledore's desk after 'accidently' dropping his pen.

"The damn man bugs his own office? I thought Moody was paranoid. We can talk now Harry I've deadened the sound in the room."

He leaned into her. "The portraits too?"

She started and snapped to her full height and had a stunned look on her face, and a look of understanding came over her, then she cast a few more spells.

"Harry, I'd have never thought of that!"

"I thought they were creepy when I first got here, and the way that they responded to the professors it seemed logical."

Within a couple of hours they had completed going over the proxy votes when Harry decided it was time to do something. "Aunt Amelia, what would you do if I told you that at the end of the opening feast speech Dumbledore added this, '…and the third floor hallway on the right-hand side is out of bounds, to those who do not wish to die a most painful death.'"

"Did he say that Harry?"

"Yes, and I've been wondering what could be so dangerous in a school? If it is structural is this castle safe?"

"I think the Headmaster and I need to have a talk." She went to the fireplace and made a floo call a few seconds later a group of her men exited the fireplace. The group made its way from the Headmaster's office to the Great Hall.

They entered a door to the side of the staff table just in time to see Professor Quirrell enter through the main door and say, "T-Troll in the dungeon… Thought you'd want to know." Then he passed out.

The room erupted into screams, Harry crossed the room at a near run calling "Neville!" as the Professors were trying to calm the students.

There was a loud bang and Dumbledore's voice boomed. "Prefects, please lead the students back to.."

"DUMBLEDORE STOP! All students-"

Meanwhile Harry is asking Neville where the girls are, when he got an answer he bolted for the door.

"-sit down at your tables. All teachers prepare to defend this room. Aurors, go search the castle, starting in the dungeon. Dumbledore what in the hell do you think you were doing? These students have no business being in the halls if there is a dangerous creature out there!"

Harry slid around the corner on the second floor on his way to the girl's bathroom in time to see, and smell the troll entering the room he was looking for. Screams began almost immediately. He entered as the troll swung its club and destroyed a chunk of wall and several stalls. Harry pulled his custom wand and did the only thing he could think of, he let his intent form his magic and pushed as hard as he could at the troll's legs. A bolt of white light slammed out of his wand and connected behind both of the troll's knees, the force was enough that it flipped onto its back and its head slammed down onto the sinks in the middle of the room, knocking it unconscious.

"Ladies are you Ok?" he asked, backing toward them, trading out his wand so he had his Ministry-acknowledged one in his hand and dropping the custom wand into his everything bag. He fired another shot at the troll just for good measure, then turned to the girls who were in shock. "Let's get you out of here." He helped them up and headed into the hall.

"Potter…" came a grumbling voice.

"Let me guess there is a very angry head of the DMLE behind me isn't there?" Their heads turned then nodded. "Crap… It's in there Aunt Amelia. I'm sorry I didn't think, I couldn't let them get hurt," tumbled out of him as he turned.


	12. Chapter 13

I own nothing!

Edited by the amazing pazed!

Read! Enjoy! Review!

**CHAPTER 13**

Madam Bones stepped forward and grabbed him by the shoulders. "You stupid Potter, just like James, you had to rush off. I don't know how I could have explained it if you had gotten yourself hurt, to either Sirius or your dad. Are you girls alright?" The girls looked at each other then nodded, as the rest of the aurors in the hall moved into the restroom. "No matter, I want you all in the hospital wing for Madam Pomfrey to look you over. Jon-"

"MADAM BONES! You might want to see this!" called a man from the restroom.

"Stay here girls, Harry follow me."

When they entered the room Madam Bones stumbled as she took the scene in. The troll was larger than she expected, most of the ones that wandered alone were juveniles, somewhere between seven and ten feet. It seemed to be a rite of passage before joining a new family group. She had heard of the rare Alpha bull that would try to start its own family group, they tended to be.. exceptional. This one stood almost fifteen feet tall, and was a good bit wider than usual. It looked like an elephant on legs.

"Harry? How?"

"I-I don't know." She heard from a weak voice behind her. "Is it dead?"

Madam Bones looked at one of the men, and he answered. "It's knocked out. How did.." as he looked up he really looked at the kid in the doorway, his eyes widened. "Well that explains it, Harry Potter."

Amelia stepped into his line of sight, "And it does not leave this room that he did. Do you all understand? As far as anyone is concerned we did this, and that is how the report will be written! Mr. Potter was never here neither were these young ladies. _Understood?_ If I hear one word I'll know it came from in this room. Johnson take care of it till Magical Creatures gets here. The rest of you with me."

"Harry, do you know the way to the hospital wing?" He nodded. "Take them up there, I'm going to go look into some things and I'll see you there soon. Go directly there. Tell no one what happened here, any of you. We will talk about this, then your parents will be informed."

They answered as a group. "Yes Ma'am," then turned and began to walk away.

"We still have a job to do gentlemen. Able return to the headmaster's office and call Magical Creatures and for some more reinforcements."

She started to lead them toward what she feared was more trouble.

They walked through the halls, the three girls leading the way, none of them spoke. As they were turning a corner Harry spotted movement ahead, and whoever it was had a wand. Rushing forward he pushed the girls to the side as a green spell passed. "RUN!" Harry yelled, pushing them back around the corner. They looked back, "I'm right behind you!" They ran. Harry crossed the hall and pulled a shield from the hands of a suit of armor, and pulled his wand, and returned to the corner. He could hear footsteps running down the hall.

"Potter! You've ruined everything! My master needs- Ahhara…" His attacker screamed, as Harry stuck his arm and wand around the corner and pushed every ounce of magic he could through his Holly wand as he yelled "Lumos" The flash was like a miniature star, Harry could see it even with his eyes shut and hidden behind the shield.

He dropped his wand and rounded the corner with the shield held mid-body, as he collided with his target and then rammed the shield up to smash him under the chin. Blood flew as he connected. He kept driving him back till he hit wall, then quickly pulled back, slid his left foot forward and twisted his left arm to be able to step in to drive the right side of the shield into his attacker's stomach. Next he reached over and then around the man's left arm and flexing hard he heard a snap as the man's arm broke followed by a scream.

There was a strong pulse of magic and heat that blasted into Harry and slammed him across the hall, stunned it took a moment to regain his footing. Suddenly it registered, the smell "P-Professor Quirrell? You let the troll in!"

"Very good, Potter, yes."

Blood covered Quirrell's face and front, his arm hung loosely at his side, and his turban was lying nearby. "Let me see the boy!" Came from somewhere…

"No Master, you are not strong enough."

"To do this I am."

Information, Harry thought, I need information. Get him talking! "Who-o was that?"

Quirrell slowly turned around, "Harry Potter. We meet again! I am Lord Voldemort!"

"Voldemort?" There was a.. thing attached to him, it writhed and twisted like a something trying to push free of the skin. It had eyes and a mouth even a nose in the most loose of terms. Harry felt nauseous just looking at it.

"Yes. You see what I've become? See what I must do to survive? Live off another, a mere _parasite_. Unicorn blood can sustain me, but it cannot give me a body of my own, but there was something here that could have, but now because of you it is lost to me. I'll give you a chance, don't be a fool and waste it. Why suffer a horrific death, when you can join me and live?"

"Never!" Harry growled.

"Bravery. Your parents had it too. Tell me, Harry... would you like to see your mother and father again? Together, we can bring them back. All I ask for is your loyalty in return."

Harry grimaces.

"That's it, Harry. There is no good and evil. There is only power... and those too _weak_ to seek it. Together, we'll do _extraordinary_ things."

"You're insane, I have a great family. They may not be blood but they are THE BEST!"

"Kill him!" Voldemort screams.

Quirrell spun on the spot and charged, Harry twisted and brought the shield across in a wide swing at head level connecting with the side of Quirrell's neck breaking it instantly. The body dropped to the floor and Harry backed away.

He could hear voices and footfalls as a black shape began to rise from the corpse, it had a vaguely human shape that seemed to scream. Then it flowed down and began to move toward Harry but stopped short, then sped across the floor away from the noise to be lost in the shadows. Harry turned to have the shield toward both the shadow of the hall and the approaching noise. He dropped to his knees as he saw Professor McGonagall and Flitwick arrive.

"Mr. Potter.. Harry?" was the last he heard and exhaustion and pain set in.

Harry slowly opened his eyes, light spilled into the unfamiliar room from the high windows. He had seen this room before… somewhere… Slowly his thoughts gathered, Hogwarts… The Hospital Wing? Quirrell.. VOLDEMORT! He sat bolt upright and slung his feet off the edge of the bed, and… fell on the floor with a scream of pain.

"Aaaaggg" He curled up on the floor trying to protect his legs. They hurt so bad, what had happened to them?

"Mr. Potter, please try not to move. I have a pain potion right here." He felt something cool on his lips, and a horrible taste in his mouth, he swallowed, the pain started to fade more with each gulp.

"I'm sorry I did not see you wake up Mr. Potter. The skin on your legs is new, as is the skin on the back of your left arm, the shield seemed to protect the rest of you. The burns on your arm were deeper as the shield's fittings and reinforcements had stuck to your arm because of the heat but the nerves will regrow soon. I will give the potion a few more seconds then levitate you back onto the bed."

"Thank you" Harry croaked out.

"I'll get you something to drink, please don't talk till then. I'll have something brought up to eat, I expect you'll have friends here soon. Oh, don't eat any of the things they have left you till after you have a real meal and your potions." Harry nodded.

After breakfast he got comfortable and started going through the letters and things left on the side table. Notes from the Patil ladies, Hermione, and Tonks, letters from his father and Uncle Robert (Ragnarok) were put to the side to be saved.

"Harry? How are you feeling?" asked Hermione walking toward his bed, Padma and Parvati joining her.

"Sore, I can't believe it's Saturday. Madam Pomfrey said I had exhausted my magical core. I guess it put me out like a light," he said with a smile.

Their faces darkened, "Don't make light to us Potter," said Parvati. "We saw you after you passed out. We were there. Why didn't you follow us like you said!"

Padma followed up. "You were burnt Harry! Badly! Professor Flitwick had to peel that melting shield off your arm!" Tears started to fall down their faces.

"I'm sorry. I had to try to get you time to run away. He wanted me, not you. I won't do it again," then giving her an angelic look, "till the next time, I'll always try and help my friends."

All three of them fell into him for a hug. He stiffened from the pain, but grimaced through it, he was glad they were safe. Over the girls' heads he sees Amelia enter, she smiled at the sight.

"Ahem…"

The girls sprang away from Harry, their faces turning bright red.

"Good morning girls, Harry. Girls may I borrow Harry, you can come see him soon, but we need to discuss what happened."

They said their goodbyes, and as they left Amelia started casting her privacy wards.

"Harry, I'm going to start with saying Thank You. I won't say what was in the area that was off limits, but it was a good thing that you said something. Dumbledore has been suspended as Headmaster."

"Aunt Amelia, could he have done something to the professors here? Aunt Minnie kept looking like she wanted to say something but couldn't."

"You're very perceptive, yes he did. It has been taken care of so there is no need to worry. Now I need to know what happened from your point of view."

Harry began his tale with his encounter with the troll, the only thing he left out was the use of his custom wand. He looked at her as he paused before starting the story about Quirrell.

"I saw something moving in the shadows and... I just knew I had to get the ladies away." He turned his eyes down, "I did what I felt I had to, and I prayed the shield would give me a chance of delaying him." He stopped speaking and just looked at his hands. "I wish there was a way... I'm not sure I believe what I saw myself.. and if I tell you.. You'll think I've lost my mind."

Amelia stood and told harry she'd be back shortly. Minutes passed she reentered holding a stone bowl on a base covered with runes. "This is a Pensieve, Harry. It will allow me to see your memories. Will you allow me to do that? I think I need to see your memory of the fight with Quirrell." Harry nodded his head.

Amelia put her wand to his temple, and told him to think of his memory. Slowly she pulled away a silver strand that kind of looked like glowing silver hair, and placed it in the bowl. She placed the Pensieve on his side table and leaned in and touched the memory, and disappeared.

"I'm sorry Amelia." Harry said quietly to no one.

When the hardened Auror emerged from the Pensieve she was white as a sheet and had broken out in a cold sweat. All she could think was that Harry had faced that monster for a second time.

"Harry, I'm going to need to show this to some people. You have my word that no one I tell will say what happened past that Quirrell was trying to kill you. That is also our official story for this entire mess, that he was a Death Eater supporter. We will talk more about that after you are feeling better."

"Ok, Madam Pomfrey said I can't cast for a few days, may I go see my dad?"

"I think that can be arranged, but we will need to ask Professor McGonagall. I'll arrange for you to meet with the girls' parents with me when I speak to them. We need to tell them part of the story, and assure them that this was an isolated incident. Whether we like it or not Dumbledore is more important than ever after the memory you showed me, he is the only person that Voldemort was wary of." She sat on the foot of Harry's bed.

"Harry, what I'm going to tell you.. and with the responsibilities of your Houses, you need to know, but I'm going to ask you to not tell anyone. The war, the one that Voldemort led, was going badly for us. Much worse than was known, we were teetering on the edge of defeat. The Ministry had been, and I think still may be, infiltrated on all levels. Some by use of spells and potions, some by blackmail, some by sympathizers, and to some extent full Death Eaters. We were at war with ourselves. What started out as a call to preserve our history and customs became much more, Voldemort wanted to rule, and everyone would bow down to him.

"His people ran rampant killing families of the muggle-born, like Hermione, they were his first targets because of the 'taint' they brought into our world. Then it was any he saw as 'unclean', people who had mixed blood or creature blood, like you or Professor Flitwick, and then muggles. People like your father, they called it muggle-hunting, it was more like a slaughter, if they weren't killed they were slaves. I think that was his plan, he wanted to rule every thing.

"We as a people don't really have a military, what I lead is more like your muggle Police. We do have some who are better trained - think of them as a heavy response team, they are called Hit Wizards. Other than that, we have only a handful, they are specially selected and introduced into the Unspeakables, a part of the Department of Mysteries. They are not soldiers as such, more investigators, they are called when something out of the ordinary is found, but never underestimate them.

"All of the ranks were devastated in the war, and replacements are slow in coming. Even your generation has lost much. Schooling has not been a priority to some families, and when we do see a qualified person graduate, pressure from their family can keep them away. We may be hard pressed if the Death Eaters begin to move as a group again, I can only hope their losses are as deep as our own."

By the time dinner was being served Harry was walking again and had received permission to go home till Wednesday the following week. His homework and assignments would be owled to him. After dinner his friends saw him off as Amelia flooed with him from the emergency floo in the Hospital Wing to the Ministry, then she apparated him home.


	13. Chapter 14

I don't own any thing.

As edited by the amazing pazed!

**CHAPTER 14**

Harry sat on the edge of the desk staring out the window of his bedroom overlooking the front lawn. Amelia was still downstairs talking to his dad. A war, if Voldemort found a way back from that… state, it will mean war, a war that will for some reason revolve around him and a madman, and from the way she was speaking earlier the wizarding world may not have the resolve to fight.

Finally he watched as Amelia walked out the door and moved to the end of the wards, and disappeared from the apparition point. Still he sat and thought, he had killed. He understood on a level that it was necessary, hell he'd even been trained for it, but he didn't need to like it.

"Hey," came from the door, "I know it doesn't help but I'm sorry it had to happen."

Harry's eyes never left the street. "You're right it doesn't help. I've been prepared for this, trained for it."

"But it doesn't help, I know, I was there once. That first, face to face, nothing can prepare you for it. There are some good people at MI6 that can help, or at least help you along the way. If you really need to we can see someone tonight."

"Madam Pomfrey gave me some potions for tonight, one for dreamless sleep, one to help with the nerve damage in my arm, and one for pain and sleep. She said I need to eat then sleep."

"I'll bring something up. Do you think you'll be up to questions tomorrow?"

"I have to be Dad... I need you to make arrangements for me to spend the summer in the states, I need to see Gorgonia."

James stiffened in the door, the last time he'd seen the old man... James pushed the thought away, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, and I need to go alone," was the weak reply.

* * *

><p>The next week was a swirl of activity for them, everything from briefings and debriefings, to changes in equipment, to psychiatric appointments. When he was home Terry mothered him she wanted to know what had shaken her boy so bad that he was home and so distant. She knew the story of a teacher attacking him for revenge did not tell the whole.<p>

The crowning jewel was a face-to-face with the hand-picked members of the Intelligence sections, the Minister of Defense and the Prime Minister himself, Harry was even allowed to attend.

"Commander Bond, it says here that your son holds the title 'Lord' in the Second World," said the man at the head of the table, his suit was impeccable, tailored to show his status as one of the leaders of the world.

"Yes Sir, he actually holds a double Lordship at the moment, he will pass the second title back when his godfather is deemed recovered. It will only return to him if he passes without issue."

"When was this Lordship established? We have no record."

"It came in service to the Crown in 1066, King William bestowed it for his family's part in his rise to power. They are listed in the magical parts of the Doomsday Book along with the other Ancient and Noble magical families."

"I see, and how is one so young able to take over the House responsibilities? No matter how well-spoken."

"Being the last of his line at age eleven he was given the chance to find out if his family magic deemed him mature enough to become Lord. He did so and the family magic accepted him," James said, and Harry allowed his House and heir rings to become visible.

"I see, and your report outlines the prospect of a war?"

"Yes Sir, the underlying problems within the community remain. Bigotry seems to be the driving force, the 'nobility' of the blood as it were. How far you can trace back magic on _both _sides of your family, beyond that those that are most ensconced in the bigotry feel that they should rule, both their side and ours. I have read reports of the most vile things that were done in the name of the madman Voldemort. They are also listed in your file, a lot of things that were listed as accidents, mundane crimes, or even terrorism, can be laid at the feet of his supporters."

"You also say that they do not have a standing military?"

"No Sir, they have a police force, a very few trained to tactical response level, and, as it was described to me, a handful of an unknown level."

"Then why are they a threat?" Harry almost wanted to strangle the new Prime Minister, but James had told him he had only been given the Second World files a few months ago and seemed to still have a hard time believing it.

"It is their abilities Sir. Chief among them is movement, as individuals or as small to medium groups, perhaps up to say small platoon size twenty-five to thirty men.

"As an individual a trained person can do something called apparition, it is a form of teleportation. Distance on average seems to be 0-160km, depending on the ability of the magic user it can be further. There is a rumor that Dumbledore can triple that distance and Voldemort was in his league. It does have drawbacks, the magic user must be able to visualize the target area, a second person may be taken along if the person has sufficient skill. Apparition involves a level of concentration and training that is beyond some, but the numbers are not available to me to give a percentage.

"Next, is the Portkey. Small group transport, they can be timed or have a password activation. The average one can carry five, they have been known to carry ten. The only person who needs to be able to visualize the target is the initial caster, range... 4025km. It takes time to create one but they can be used by anyone, even a non-magical, they are perfect for an emergency.

"Then there is the wand." He motions to Harry, who pulls out his own. "It sets off no alarm, and is the perfect tool in the hands of a trained magic user. It can repair anything you understand and can visualize, transform one object into another, atomize just about anything, create matter for a short time, and kill in a variety of ways, and every single human in the Second World carries one.

"Beyond that, there are spells to dominate the mind, potions to force out the truth or duplicate appearances down to the very DNA, or heal injuries.

"Then there are things that strike fear by just being mentioned." James paused for a moment.

"Werewolves," half of the room looked shocked. "It is a disease, transferred by bite. It causes a person to be shunned in the Second World. Under the full moon it causes a transformation, very much like the movies. It then takes a day or two for a person to recover, but with precautions they can be rendered safe.

"Vampires, most now only use voluntary blood. Most of these groups or afflicted understand that if the Statute of Secrecy was lost... they would be hunted and destroyed.

"Finally, the magical creatures, Dragons, Griffons, even Giants and Trolls, just about any mythical creature you could think of and some you could never dream.

"I don't think most want to be a threat, they just want to be left alone. Sir, I've been elsewhere in the world and the two can balance, but here something has happened. Something has stunted and twisted the progression of the magical world. In most places wizards can function outside their world, but here? They understand little, if anything of our world. The only thing I have heard of that is post-industrial is a train... a steam train.

"Voldemort used all these things, he got the vampires and werewolves to fight with him, along with giants and trolls - any group that felt that they were being controlled, he found those who wanted to use their savage side. He used them as his shock troops. They and the movement they have available allow for such speed and force that response would be difficult. It is possible to ward against the movement abilities, and that is one of the areas I wish to have pursued."

"Why do you not support direct intervention? Would we lose?"

"No. Though it would be akin to a guerrilla civil war. The general population of both worlds would pay the price. They and the other magical races and creatures."

"Others?"

"There are other intelligent races. I have many dealings with the Goblins, and am proud that my son and I are known as goblin kin. They are a proud people and will always uphold a contract, but be warned they were and are a warrior culture. Break a contract at your own peril. While keeping that heritage alive they have found another battlefield they also love, the corporate one. They feel that it will disrupt business if war comes.

"The Dwarves, well they are the most integrated, they have mixed well into our world thanks to their more human appearance. Over time what has remained is their magic, it is hidden in the family lines passed down to the eldest child only. It is jealously guarded.

"Elves, are as far as we know lost. There is a small creature known as a House Elf, but they are of an unknown lineage, and are somehow bound to wizards or witches. They seem to need the connection to survive and are servants because of it.

"There are smaller enclaves of others such as Gnomes, Centaurs, etc…

"It is important to remember that direct action may expose the Second World. If that happens it could mean genocide to those races, creatures, and possibly to people like my son as well."

"Why does the Second World stay hidden?"

"The simple answer is fear. Magic has been feared for ages. The abilities when seen were either violent or misunderstood, even healing became reviled. This turned to more anger, resentment and fear; it was felt it was better to hide away. Sheer numbers could overwhelm most of the magical world, other than something like dragons or... giants, but they are very rare."

"This Voldemort? You saw him?" the Prime Minister asked Harry.

"Yes Sir. That is how he identified himself, and later after seeing my memory, so did Madam Amelia Bones Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"Do you recommend this, Amelia Bones, be read into the Second World file Commander Bond?"

"I will, once all of the laws and oaths have been reviewed. We need to understand how or if her vows to the Ministry of Magic and to her office would affect her."

"Vows?"

"Yes Sir. In the magical world not keeping a vow could have far reaching consequences, depending on the vow, including things like loss of their magic or death. I don't think we can afford to lose such a valuable potential ally, she is also the head of the Ancient and Noble House Bones."

"I see, and these Houses wield a lot of power in their government?"

"A substantial amount, if six of the eight families moved as a block they could pass any law."

"And your son is in control of two, at least for now, and is in contact with two more?"

"Yes Sir."

"Any idea how to contact more?"

"Yes Sir. Some of the families have children at Hogwarts; he intends to contact them quietly."

"I am going to contact other governments in the near future, I was going to speak to this IWC but you recommend against it as this Dumbledore is its head?"

"Yes sir, we are hoping that he will step down or we can get him recalled by the Ministry of Magic, but at the moment he is still the head of that body. You need to understand Sir he is seen as a major war hero, his defeat of Grindelwald is seen as if someone single-handedly beat Hitler and his army. The fear is, if his manipulations are known it will crush Britain's magical community and shake the others, and if Voldemort manages to return to a physical form he is the only one he was afraid of. He needs to be visible now; he may even need to stay as head of the Wizengamot or Hogwarts." Harry stiffened at the thought of him at the school; he didn't think Amelia would allow it with her niece there.

"It sounds as if we need to finish the work on their laws as soon as possible, and see if we can work with Madam Bones to start our network. We will move carefully. Anything else gentlemen? Very good then, dismissed."


	14. Chapter 15

I don't own anything!

As edited by the amazing pazed!

**CHAPTER 15**

The magical creatures were just the start of what they had found in Hogwarts, the school was a mess and all of it seemed to point directly or indirectly at Dumbledore, and with the revelation that Amelia had learned from Harry's memory yesterday things had become infinitely more complicated. Amelia was torn, who to trust, what to do, and what was Albus Dumbledore up to. Even with all the warnings he was playing some form of game. After much thought she settled on where to start, Algernon Croaker, he was her mentor and first partner. Most thought he had retired, Amelia almost laughed at that thought, and actually he had joined the Department of Mysteries as an Unspeakable.

Many people thought that the Unspeakables were enigmatic, unapproachable, and aloof. That wasn't entirely true. There were two sections within the Department of Mysteries; one was purely research, the other was field research. The academic side never discussed their work, anything in or out of the department came from the field side, they were the gatekeepers. Fortunately the Field Agents, if approached correctly were a little, a very little, more reasonable.

Amelia inhaled a deep breath as she took hold of the handle of the ancient iron door and pulled it open, normally she would never venture into this area, the Department of Mysteries. Stepping inside she stopped and allowed the door to swing closed, only when she was sure that it was did she start walking forward. This was not the actual department but rather just passage to the entry area; it was over thirty meters long, and the stone was nothing like that in the rest of the Ministry. The 'marble' was the same on the floors, walls, and ceiling, a dark translucent black with veins of gold, silver, and glowing green. At the end of the hall stood a single white door, the only entrance she knew of into the Department of Mysteries.

Reaching the door she tried not to think of what lay beyond, she opened the door and stepped quickly through. Inside she kept her eyes on the floor as she closed the door and walked to the middle of the room, then looking up she started to turn in a slow circle taking time to fully face each door. This is one or the things she dreaded in here, each door hung in mid-air. She knew for a fact that you could walk completely around each of the identical doors, and there was no wall or support as far as the eye can see even with the best light spells she knew. As she finished her circle the doors began to slowly rotate, they began to gather speed until she could feel a breeze from their movement.

She kept her eyes closed and tried not to think about last time she was here, Croaker had found her in a heap on the floor in her own mess from the effect. That embarrassment was still being held over her head to get her to pay for drinks when they met socially. Minutes passed, and finally she felt the breeze stop, slowly opening an eye she watched the door that had stopped in front of her open. Inside stood a man a full head shorter than Amelia, he was balding and the hair that was left was silver grey, his reading glasses rested on top of his head. His smile was warm, and laughter glinted behind his eyes.

"Oh shut it Al. I didn't make a mess this time," she said with a smile.

"No, but you cheated, and closed your eyes. You want to try again? I can reset the entry."

"No." The mirth left her, sobering to her task. "This is not a social call. May I?" She asked motioning to the door.

With a concerned look he nodded. "Please. We can use my office."

"No offence, but is it secure?"

He looked at her closely; her tells had risen to the surface. In her left hand was her monocle, she continually flipped it in her fingers, while her left toe tapped. She normally had better control, he thought, she is thinking too hard about something. He nodded at her and led the way.

In the time that they walked she never saw a soul, but that was how it was whenever she came here. She thought it made the place all the more uncomfortable. Finally as they walked down a nondescript hall Croaker came to a stop, placed his hand on the wall and a section opened like a gaping mouth and he stepped in, slowly Amelia followed.

The door closed without a sound, as lights began to rise in the hidden room. It had a fairly large table, it may have sat six or eight if they were very friendly, circled by a group of comfortable looking chairs.

"Al? Do you have access to a..." Just as she was about to finish the question a pensieve appeared in the center of the table. "That's impressive."

"It is a useful thing," he said with a chuckle. "I suppose we will need this later, but first please start at the beginning."

Amelia began her tale, starting with the meeting with Professor McGonagall, then Harry and his father James, what was found in the will and the manipulations of Albus Dumbledore.

"On October 31, I went to Hogwarts to discuss the Session of the Wizengamot that had just concluded and have Mr. Potter-Bond affix his House seal, when he told me of a statement that Dumbledore made at the end of the sorting feast, '…and the third floor hallway on the right-hand side is out of bounds, to those who do not wish to die a most painful death.' Due to his other… indiscretions, I thought it prudent to look into this. When I reached the Great Hall Professor Quirrell announced openly that a troll had entered the dungeons, the next thing I heard made me wonder about Dumbledore's sanity, he was going to send the children out into the halls with only the prefects to guard them while the teachers hunted for the troll." Croaker did his best not to look shocked, he had never liked the man but this was just incompetent.

"Harry had some friends that were unaccounted for and rather than getting help he ran off on his own. One of the Aurors I had with me saw him run out, we followed as soon as I had the room settled and the teachers understood they were to leave the search to us and they were to protect the children."

"We found Harry in the hall outside the second floor girls' bathroom; he and his friends were ok, just some scrapes and bruises. Al that boy, an eleven year old, took down a fifteen foot Bull troll, not a juvenile a full alpha breeding bull. Granted it was a good chunk luck but he did it, from what he said and it looked like he hit it with a bombardment spell, or to him he just 'pushed as hard as he could.'"

"Did you check his wand?"

"Yes while he was in the hospital wing later, whatever he did it just registered as energy, pure shaped magic."

"Impressive."

"Unfortunately that was just the start of the night." She took a deep breath, and began again. "My men and I then went to the area that Dumbledore had placed out of bounds. When we entered we encountered our second creature of the night, that... idiot Dumbledore had a Cerberus in there! After it was subdued, we found a trap-door it was guarding, down there we found Devils Snare, a room full of it and another door. We went into the next room and there was a locked door and a bunch of flying keys not dangerous just annoying, followed by a giant wizard's chess set, then another troll, and finally a logic puzzle. In the last area I found this." She placed a blood red stone about the size of her fist on the table. "I'm not sure what it is but Dumbledore was almost in a panic when we led him to the room and asked what was stored there." Croaker just looked at the object, but made no move to touch it, his face blank.

"But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before we got to the chess set we received word that Professor Quirrell had attacked Harry, and Quirrell had been killed. Harry's memory of the fight is in here." She placed a vial filled with shimmering silver liquid." Croaker picked up the vial and placed the memory in the pensieve, he looked at Amelia and she nodded her head. They both stepped forward and disappeared into the memory...

Croaker watched the memory through several times from different locations, and then in sections. Finally he turned to Amelia, "When did you take the memory?"

"Within a couple of hours of his wakening, no one had been to see him other than Madam Pomfrey and his friends. They were never left alone, and he was under guard, he was also magically exhausted, any spell work on him would have been noticed because of the medical charms and the effect on his core."

"Then there is no way he was altered. Good."

"No. We do need to talk about what Dumbledore did to the professors." He turned slowly.

"What did he do Amelia?" he asked as they left the pensieve.

"He had their employment contracts redone and resubmitted from the Board of Governors with some raises etc... but worded to get the professors to help create the barriers to that stone and not speak of anything to do with it. The only one that we found that was not that way was Hagrid, as he does not have a contract as Gamekeeper, Dumbledore just asked for the use of one of his 'Pets', and he loaned him the Cerberus, believe it or not he named that thing Fluffy! I don't think he meant any harm, he was trying to help Dumbledore and doesn't understand how things that aren't dangerous to him may be to others."

Croaker understood that, he had known the man for years, he didn't have a bad bone in his body, "He probably didn't, he has always had poor judgment when it involved a dangerous creature," he chuckled. "We need to move carefully, I'm sure you noticed that the 'protections' Dumbledore placed were ridiculous?" Amelia nodded. "What do you think of it?"

"If it was a trap it was poorly constructed, other than the Cerberus any first…" She paused.

"Yes, I believe you are on the right track."

"A test for Harry?"

"I believe so."

"Why?"

"Why did he want to manipulate where Harry was to live? I'm not sure, yet. If Voldemort knew that stone was in the castle, and if he had been at his normal level he would have just blasted his way through, or just bypassed the majority, as it is 'Fluffy' was probably what was stopping him."

"Al, what is that stone?"

"Well, that's a good question isn't it? I ask you to keep hold of it, and someone will come for it in the next couple of days. It's not dangerous." Croaker gave her an impish grin. "We need to get Dumbledore removed from the school, whatever his machinations they should not involve children. Beyond that there needs to be a plan, and we need allies."

"He has been suspended, the outcome of the investigation of professor Quirrell, and his attack on the school and his attack on Harry. Professor McGonagall is the headmistress as of now; she has put in an emergency request to my department for an interim Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor."

"Do you have someone in mind?"

"Martin Cross, he has a Mastery in defense, and he has been an instructor at the academy for three years." Croaker nodded he knew the man.

"Al, how did he survive?"

"I don't know, Amelia. I've never seen anything like it, but I plan to find out.


	15. Chapter 16

I don't own anything.

As edited by the amazing pazed!

**CHAPTER 16**

Croaker returned to his office. He always loved puzzles, and Amelia thought that she had handed him one when actually it was two. The first was Voldemort and his survival, he could forgive her for missing the other as his sudden appearance was likely to distract just about anyone. The second enigma was one Harry James Potter-Black-Bond.

He had watched the memory a few times before it dawned on him, the boy had been trained to fight. The overpowered Lumos was used to deny a caster his most precious sense in combat his sight. Next he abandoned his magic in favor of direct confrontation, something most of the best trained Aurors would not expect. He was decisive and brutally efficient, where would he learn something like that?

* * *

><p>Amelia started the next morning with her only vice from the muggle world, coffee. When she had done some surveillance in her younger years Al had made her try some of the stuff and before she knew it, it became one of the best ways to start the mornings, and while you could get coffee in the wizard shops the flavor was nowhere close to the blends available in the muggle world.<p>

She sighed as she took her first sip, "I really wish I could get that grinder to work..."

"Yes, there is something to be said for grinding your own beans, but you will also need a good quality brewer. I imagine that you are trying to grind the beans too fine, are you using a hand crank or electric?" came a voice from behind her. Turning she saw a smaller man, with steel grey eyes, deep black hair and an infectious smile. A woman stood with him arm interlocked with his, her height matched his, along with the smile, her brown hair was up in a tight bun and her blue eyes sparkled in the light. Amelia was stunned, they both stood there in full robes in the middle of muggle London and not a soul seemed to notice.

"H-hand crank, electric won't work."

His eyebrows went up. "Why ever not? If it is a battery-powered one just don't use magic until the battery case is closed. We haven't had a problem in years."

Shaking off her stupor, "Please follow me, both of you."

Moving to the back of the store to an isolated table she turned. "Sir I must ask you to please not speak of our world here."

"What, magic, in the 'muggle world'?" as he did little air quotes.

"Exactly, you could be fined or even held for breaking the Statutes of Secrecy."

He started to chuckle, as did the woman with him. "Ah, it is so much fun to churn the kids up isn't it my love?" She nodded. "My dear Madam Bones, no one could see our robes nor hear our words, I created a charm that... well for lack of a better explanation, it lets them see or hear what they expect."

"Wh- What... kids? I've never heard of a spell like that. Who are you?"

"My name is Nick, and this is my wife Penny, and no you haven't. A little bird told me that you have something for us?" Amelia blinked at them. "Oh come on. A stone, red, about the size of your fist?"

Again she blinked, slowly she reached into a pocket and pulled out the stone.

"Excellent, may I?" he asked putting his hand out.

She placed the stone in his hand and he started to look closely at it. "Ah, very beautiful." He passes his wand over it. "Flawed, shame really, he tried so hard. My dear Penny could you break this down while I speak with Madam Bones?" he asks, laying the stone on the table.

"Now, I know who made the stone, but how did you come by it?"

"I'm sorry sir that's part of an ongoing investigation."

"Really? What has my wayward apprentice gotten himself into this time?"

"Apprentice? You're younger than me. How could you have an apprentice?"

"Let's just say I'm older than I look."

"All done dear." Penny said handing a few objects back to Nick.

After digging through the pile he pulls out a large diamond. "Hmm, yes he skimped on materials and, well he has a few things just plain wrong. I told him and told him, research or stick with your other pursuits you can't do everything, but did he listen? No."

"Nick, please. We've gone over this before; I know you saw the ability in him. He could never understand why you didn't just give him the instructions once he reached the research stage."

'Yes, but you can't just be _given_ that knowledge..."

"I know my love," she said interrupting. "He disappointed us both." She took his face in her hands and kissed him lightly. Amelia shuffled feeling like an intruder on a private conversation.

"I'm sorry Madam Bones, old wounds heal slow," Nick said. "My Apprentice never finished his studies before leaving. He showed great promise, but did not have the patience for the work. Please keep this as... payment for whatever mischief he has caused." He handed the diamond to her.

Holding it in her hand, it felt different than the stone, and it was just a little bit smaller, it was still by far the largest cut diamond she had ever seen. "May I ask who your Apprentice was?"

"Albus Dumbledore."

* * *

><p>Professor McGonagall looked up at the house in front of her, she had wanted a house of her own once upon a time. Her husband, Robert, was killed in the early stages of the war with Voldemort, when an attack was carried out in the heart of Diagon Alley while she was working late at the Ministry. After his death she floundered, she finally found something that would give her new purpose - teaching. Her home was Hogwarts, her children its students and she would teach and protect them to the best of her ability as the new Headmistress.<p>

She opened the gate and strolled up the path to the front door, knocking she prepared herself for Harry's father to remove him from Hogwarts. After her discussion with Amelia she now understood why she could not do any more to help her children. The work was to be theoretical, a look at nonstandard barriers, Albus had said it was to be an intellectual exercise. Then those damn contracts with the secrecy clauses, how they had been fooled, it was an embarrassment.

She knocked on the door softly, and watched as lights came on in the entryway.

"Hello, Headmistress," said James, pulling the door open.

"Mr. Bond, I am..."

"It's ok Headmistress, I've had a long talk with Madam Bones. Please come in."

James led her into the kitchen, "Cappuccino?"

"Please."

James moved around the kitchen with practiced ease, Minerva was startled by the noise of the machine as he finished their drinks. She took a sip and was pleasantly surprised.

"This is very good Mr. Bond."

"Please, Minerva, it's still James. Amelia explained what happened and that it was an aberration, I can't believe that someone would go to such lengths. As for Dumbledore..."

"He has been dismissed, officially it is a sabbatical but he will not be near my students again."

"Harry wants to go back but I'm hesitant. Are you looking over your security?"

"Yes and I have hired an ex-Auror and a team of Curse Breakers to come in and evaluate everything over the Christmas Holidays."

"Minerva, I'll talk it over with Harry, and see how the other parents involved in this feel."

"I understand James."

Amelia fell into a seat. "Dumbledore? H-he planned it all? He knew? Did he know about Vo...?" She caught herself, she couldn't let that secret out.

"My dear you look like you've seen the devil himself," Penny said sitting next to her.

"Dumbledore... he... I'm sorry," more control returning, "I need to add you to the report on this incident, may I please have your full names, ages, and home address?"

"Nicolas, and Perenelle Flamel, ages 664 and 662, as for address well that's a little tough, we don't give it out."

"664... That's impossible!"

"Well, I do try to do something impossible every day so... No, it's the truth, and Albus was my student, in the twenties. As a matter of fact he helped with the last use of dragon's blood."

"You're an Alchemist?" asked Amelia.

"Yes," he said with a smile and a twinkle in his eye.

"The Philosophers Stone... that was a Philosophers Stone?"

"It was a try at one. It wouldn't work right if at all."

She sat there as thoughts crashed through her mind. "Sir, Dumbledore has done some very questionable things in the last fe... well many years. He has put lives in danger, both adults and children. I don't yet understand why he is doing some of these things but I'm working on finding out." With that Penny's hand covered her mouth in shock, and Nick's eyes hardened. "May I ask if there was an apprenticeship vow taken?"

Nick almost growled. "Yes, has someone been injured or killed because of him?"

"He placed that stone in a chamber at Hogwarts, and had some pathetic defenses placed on it. A professor there had learned of its existence and, thinking it fully functional, was planning to steal it. When he learned his primary target was lost to him he went after his secondary, Lord Potter-Black. It was because of information given to me by Lord Potter-Black that his plans were disrupted."

"The thief, is he at large?"

"No Lord Potter-Black killed him, and was seriously injured in the process. Sir, Lor... Harry is eleven, it was Harry Potter."

Penny was openly crying, Nick sat quietly for a moment then asked, "Is he ok?"

"He will be, he depleted his magical core, and his physical injuries while bad were correctable."

Nick nodded, and Amelia continued. "I'm not sure but you said Albus did not complete his training, and I know from my own apprenticeship that the vow contains a clause that as his master you are responsible to try to correct damage done by the misuse of the knowledge or skills before they finish. Are you still bound."

"Either way, I'd still try to help."

"Since the little bird trusts you there is more that you need to know, but I will need an oath of secrecy. Is that ok?"

The couple looked at each other for a moment then answered as one. "Yes."


	16. Chapter 17

I don't own anything.

As edited by the amazing pazed!

**CHAPTER 17**

The following Wednesday James and Harry entered Gringotts, the day that Amelia had spoke of had come, Harry thought he'd rather face the troll again rather than explaining things to the ladies' parents. The goblin on duty led them to a conference room, as the first to arrive they sat quietly, until the door opened and the first of the parents entered.

The Indian couple entered and walked toward the seats indicated by the goblin. They both wore stern looks on their faces and Mr. Patil glared at Harry. Soon another couple entered with the first being an older version of Hermione only with darker hair. She was having in animated but quiet conversation with her husband, a man with glasses and salt and pepper hair.

Walking to Harry and James they stuck out their hands to Harry. "Dr. Daniel Granger, and this is my wife Dr. Emma Granger. You must be one of my daughter's friends."

"Yes sir, I'm Harry Potter-Bond. This is my father James Bond."

"I do hope everything is ok. The Aurors that asked us to come were not very forthcoming."

"I'm sorry for that Dr Granger," came a voice just entering from the hall. "That was on my order. Please have a seat, and I will explain everything, I thought it best to have all of the parents and children directly involved here, before I went over everything."

A missile with bushy hair sped around Amelia and the Headmistress directly into the arms of both the Grangers. "Daddy! Mum!" squealed Hermione.

"Pumpkin!" said Daniel, "Look at you! I think you're taller already!"

The twins moved at a much more sedate pace to their parents. "Father, Mother." The twins said together. Their mother moved and hugged each girl, their father's eyes never left Harry if anything his glare worsened. They then turned and greeted Harry, with a nod.

"Ms. Patil, Ms. Patil, Namaste," Harry returned with a matching nod.

Hearing his voice Hermione stuck her head out from around her parents. "Harry?" The next thing he knew he was being hugged, tightly, and barraged with questions about his health.

"Hermione…" More questions. "Hermione…" More questions. "Hermione!" She fell silent. "I'm fine, I'm doing better." All this time Emma watched the scene with humor in her eyes, her father... not so much.

"Ahem," coughed Amelia. "Perhaps we should get started." She gestured to the seats.

After they had all settled in Amelia began to speak.

"I must ask that all of the information I give you at this meeting remain confidential. I imagine that you have read of the incident that occurred at Hogwarts on October 31st?" The Patils nodded, while the Grangers looked at each other then slowly looked at their daughter, she was busying herself studying the floor.

"Something you need to tell us Poppet?" Daniel asked quietly.

"I'm sorry Dr. Granger, the fault of you not knowing of the incident lies with me," said Amelia. "I asked the girls not to talk about what had happened, I assumed that you would see the official version in the Daily Prophet."

"Excuse me Madam Bones, the official story? So the real story is something different? asked Mr. Patil.

"Yes, and I'm afraid that the girls and Harry were involved." All of the parents' eyes shifted to Harry, he squirmed in his chair.

"The real story is that one of the professors, Quirinus Quirrell, was apparently a Death Eater sympathizer. He allowed a troll to enter Hogwarts during dinner, your daughters were in the second floor girls' bathroom when it found them." A gasp came from the parents. "Lord Potter-Black knew that they had gone there and managed to get them out while knocking the troll unconscious." The heads of the Patils snapped to Amelia at the use of Harry's title. "When I arrived on the scene a few moments later Lord Potter-Black was helping them out of the restroom."

"You were able to respond that quickly?" asked Mr. Granger.

"I was in the school on Wizengamot business when Quirrell announced the troll in the Great Hall. Lord Potter-Black was only ahead of myself and my Aurors by the amount of time it took to calm the students. These girls were very lucky." She paused while the parents held their daughters. "I wish I could say that was the end of an eventful night but I'm afraid that I made a judgment error at this point, with the few Aurors I had at hand I split us up. Thinking the immediate danger over I sent the children to the Hospital Wing, alone, while we arranged for reinforcements and transport. What we did not know at the time was that Quirrell had let the troll in, he then attacked the children on their way to the Hospital Wing. Lord Potter-Black fought back, and Quirrell was killed, and Lord Potter-Black was injured."

"Injured? Injured? Madam Bones, Madam Pomfrey had to regrow the skin on both his legs, and his arm looked…" Hermione said, as tears started falling down all of the girls faces.

"We thought he was dead!" added Padma.

"You were all lucky that night girls, and Lord Potter-Black was very selfless. Because of the incidents of the night Albus Dumbledore is stepping down as headmaster, and Professor McGonagall is now the permanent headmaster, we are calling it a sabbatical till the end of the year. The security is under review, better checks are being run on all professors and staff. The charter and rules of the school are under review as well and because of the discrepancies that were found the Board of Governors was disbanded and the new Board will be subject to background checks as well. Until such time as the review is complete and upgrades are complete a team of Aurors will be stationed in the castle. We changed the details to prevent a public panic, but your families needed to understand what this group has gone through..."

"I think I've heard enough Madam Bones, we will be withdrawing our daughter as of today." With this statement, Daniel Granger stood to leave.

"You may do that if you wish sir, but Ms. Granger needs to go to an accredited school through her O.W.L.S. If she did not she would be a danger to both herself and your family, and the only other choice is… even more unpleasant."

"And that would be what?"

"Her wand would be snapped, her magic bound, and all of your memories altered to remove knowledge of the magical world."

"Is that a threat?"

"No sir, it is the law. There are other schools here and abroad, but the schools here are not as comprehensive nor offer the level of excellence of Hogwarts. As for the schools overseas I only know of two that accept exchange students, Beauxbatons in France, and Salem Academy in the Colonies."

During this Hermione had begun to cry, as Harry got up and went to comfort her so did the twins. She grabbed on to them like a drowning person.

"Mr. Granger," Amelia continued. "I assure you this was an abnormality, this sort of thing does not normally happen at Hogwarts, and it did show that there are ways to improve security for the children. It also has shown us that we need to check and reinforce security at all schools and public buildings. This incident is not unlike a celebrity stalker in your world."

"And he was after this young man?" asked Mrs. Granger.

"Initially he was after an object that Albus Dumbledore had in his possession; we believe he was studying it. Lord Potter-Black was a target of opportunity after he lost his chance at the object. Lord Potter-Black unfortunately is a target of any Voldemort supporters remaining from the war, and that is something we are looking into as well."

"Voldemort?" asked the Grangers.

"Yes he was a madman that up until '81, led a violent rebellion against Magical Britain. He caused many deaths in both your world and ours, including my family and Lord Potter-Black's parents. On Halloween night of 1981 he attacked Lord Potter-Black's home. After a battle in the home something happened, what no-one is sure, but Lord Potter-Black survived and Voldemort disappeared, although we did find some remnants of what were thought to be his robes. He has been missing for eleven years; most believe that Lord Potter-Black is responsible."

Harry laughed, "More likely my birth parents."

"I agree, Lord Potter-Black, but he is still seen as a hero, as well as a Lord."

"Daddy, I want to stay. I want to be with my friends, and they are working on everything, I'll be safe."

"Pumpkin." He kneeled down to look her in the eye. "This should never have happened."

"Dan, would you have taken her out of the old school if someone had attacked there?" asked Emma. "You know she has had a hard time with friends and it looks like she's found some good ones."

"But Emms…"

"No Dan, I'd like her home more too but we want her to have the best and here in the UK that's Hogwarts."

"Ms. Granger?" asks Harry.

"Yes, Lord Potter-Black?"

"It's just Harry ma'am, I don't normally use my titles. Most people don't even know I've taken up my lordship. I'd like to talk to you, Mr. Granger and Hermione later, I'm planning on getting my certification for normal school and I was wondering if Hermione would like to study with me."

Emma was pleased, she had been concerned that Hermione's standard schooling would fall to the wayside. "We will need to talk about her staying at Hogwarts. Madam Bones is there someplace we can talk?"

"Yes Ms. Granger, the goblins have prepared a room for each family." They followed the guard out.

"Lord Potter-Black," Mr. Patil started crossing the room. "I must thank you for my daughters' lives. We owe you a great debt. As for your continuing muggle education do you think it is necessary?"

"I will always stand with my friends. Yes, I do feel that it is necessary. The mundane world has made amazing advances that it seems the magicals are completely oblivious to. Math, art, engineering, science, chemistry, and lots of other things, they have even walked on the moon." Mr. Patil looked dubious. "Honestly sir, look." He pulled a book from his backpack. "This is a history book, pictures sent back from the moon, and these are pictures from a telescope thousands of times more powerful than the ones we use for class." Now Mr. Patil was looking stunned, as he thumbed through the book.

"Would you mind helping my daughters learn?"

"Not if they wish it. They are very intelligent and most of what is needed isn't that bad. They will need to take Arithmancy, according to my birth mother's journal it is a good basic math, and I suspect that they speak Hindi so their foreign language is covered. If you would like, maybe even a daytrip to the London Science Museum so you can see what the non-magicals have accomplished."

"That could be most enlightening. Have they made any advancements in textiles, or farming?

"Yes, sir. I think we can find something that will amaze you."

They continued to speak for several minutes, until the Grangers returned. Hermione had a huge grin on her face, and few moments later all the kids were on their way back to Hogwarts.

"Mr. Bond?" asked Dan. "May I ask what your occupation is?"

"I'm Director of Personnel Operations for Universal Exports, I oversee most of our high risk accounts."

"Hm... You have raised a remarkable young man, to risk his life for his friends like that."

"_Orbis non sufficit_, the world is not enough, is our family motto and what we are willing to give for what we believe. He chooses his friends well and will always stand beside them. Then again I can't take all the credit; he also learned quite a bit about family and loyalty from our family."

"You were military?"

"Yes, Commander in the Royal Navy."

"SAS."

"SAS to Doctor, were you a medic?"

"No that was a decision after I left the service. I saw a beautiful woman in line, and suddenly I was in classes to become a dentist." he said with a large smile nodding at his wife who was speaking with Madam Bones. "My twin brother, David, stayed in and will retire soon."

"It looks like the career is a good fit for you, and from what Harry says Hermione is a genius."

"Oh, I don't know about that but she has her mother's love of learning that's for sure."

"Both of you served in the muggle military?" asked Mr. Patil.

"Yes."

"Is that something that is asked of all muggles?"

"No, Mr. Patil. It is a choice, but very few regret their service," responded Dan.

"Why do you need a military? Are not your version of Aurors sufficient?"

James looked at Mr. Patil oddly for a moment. "Mr. Patil, do you have any idea how large a population the magical world has in the UK?"

During the discussion Amelia approached. "Before the war, right at 100,000, now around 50,000. The decrease includes both those that were lost to the war and those that emigrated because of it."

James nodded, "The population of the UK is just above 54million,"- both of the magicals looked stunned - "and world-wide the population is around 5.4billion. Most nations keep a standing military not only because of threats from other militaries, but to help in times of natural disasters and other emergencies."

"Mr. Bond is correct, the military today is not just there to wage war, they undertake many humanitarian missions as well."

"It is a good thing the magical world stays out of the muggle, magic would tip the balance of power easily," said Mr. Patil.

"You think so? Other than some of your healing, I really don't know that it would impact the battlefield that significantly," said Dan. "I've spoken to a couple of Aurors and sustaining magic in combat is draining, and we 'muggles' have become very good at breaking things. When you go to the museum with Harry and the girls, also go over to the Imperial War Museum, you might be surprised."

The group made plans for the holidays, and agreed to try to learn more about each of their worlds.


	17. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18**

The final weeks passed, and soon the young friends found themselves on the train home. They had even been joined by a couple of new faces, Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott. As the niece of the head of the DMLE Susan had been afraid that it would be hard to make friends at Hogwarts, she had been both right and wrong, some gave her a wide berth because of the relationship but there were many to whom it did not seem to matter, especially those in her own house, Hufflepuff. Still this was the first time that she was included, not standing on the edge. She brushed her strawberry blond hair out of her face and laughed harder as Harry and Neville mock fought to see who got to sit with three pretty girls rather than two. Her petite best friend Hannah was trying to wipe her eyes and hold her sides at the same time, they both thought that the two boys acted more like brothers than friends.

Giving up both boys sat on the floor, Harry facing the door and Neville facing the window.

"Dang it Neville another draw, we never are going to settle this."

Neville put on a big smile and nodded, though he knew that Harry could probably best him easily, but just maybe he was getting better or at least he wasn't breathing as hard any more.

"My dad said he picked up tickets for everyone for tomorrow night, it's _Les Miserables_. Dad's secretary said they are great seats, and we are all to be up and ready to go first thing in the morning for fittings. Evidently the Queen will be in attendance so all of us are on our best behavior. Then a late dinner, and the next day is museums."

"Any idea on where we are staying?" asked Hermione.

"No, just that it will be in a hotel. I was just happy that all the parents would go along with this, I think you all will love staying in a non-magic hotel. I may even have a surprise for tonight," giving Hermione a wink. "Just sit tight when the train pulls in, let the platform empty some. It'll be easier to find everyone."

Soon enough the group was gathered for dinner in the Cavendish Hotel after freshening up in their rooms, and after dinner they took a stroll to the local theater to see the new Disney film _Beauty and the Beast_. The walk back was full of oohs and ahs at the lights and things in the windows of Piccadilly Circus.

The next morning was short for the men as they were done at the tailor before 10:00, the ladies on the other hand... well they were lucky to make the opening curtain. In all it was a wonderful night, capped off by a late dinner.

Breakfast came early but was once again wonderful, and they were joined by Harry's godfather Sirius Black. The first stop of the day was to be the London Science Museum.

Walking in the front doors the boys' eyes went wide and they charged away with Sirius in the lead and the girls shaking their heads but following quickly.

Amelia just chuckled, "I think Sirius is a bigger kid than Harry or Neville."

"Do you think that has to do with his time in Azkaban?" asked Mr. Patil.

"Lord no, I think he was just as bad when he went in. He and his friends, Remus could turn it off, and James grew up, at least when Lily was around."

"It's nice seeing Neville with a smile, Harry and those girls have been good for him," said an older woman with graying hair walking with Mrs. Patil.

"Yes Augusta, he was so shy. It's good they are getting to know each other like their parents would have wanted. I think they are all good for one another," said Amelia.

They wandered from room to room, air travel, computers, biology, autos, and finally industry. The last room was almost impossible to get Mr. Patil out of, they did find him a fairly comprehensive book on the subject in the gift shop.

James knew that the next stop on the tour was going to be the hardest on the magicals, the Imperial War Museum. When they entered the area for WWII, the conversation came to a stop. On the entry wall was a full color scene looking down the beach at Normandy, the bodies floating in blood red water, men passing them and moving onto the beach. The walls to the sides showed bombed London.

"160,000 men with their equipment and support vehicles on 5,000 ships, 13,000 men jumped out of more than 800 planes, more than 300 planes dropped bombs as support. Over 100,000 men were on the beaches before nightfall, and over 40,000 casualties. That was just the first step in taking back Europe from a madman... well I take that back, _**two**_ madmen," said James quietly. "One was a frustrated painter, and powerful speaker, the other I don't know much about he was magical."

Gasps came as the group turned to face him. "His name was Grindelwald, my father served in the war as did Harry's grandfather. Harry's grandfather was even on that very beach." Another set of gasps. "I'm kind of an amateur historian on World War II, and when Harry found a book on the magical world at the time of the war he gave it to me. It seems that almost no one in the magical world gave any thought to what was going on in Europe until the first Magical bombs were used. Standard V2 rockets augmented with magic and potions, making them more deadly, and fly farther. This wasn't till later in the war, from the beginning Hitler had a fascination with magic and the occult, that is even documented in our history."

"When he first started his rise to power he crisscrossed the world looking for things, then the war started." He moved further into the room. "I went through the diaries of Charles Potter that Harry found in his vaults. He was part of the war from early on, Queen Elizabeth requested him to investigate the magical things Hitler was after. He and a few others then chose to stand, with the rest of the world against the Axis Powers. He saw the horrors on the battle fields and may have turned a few battles with the use of magic. It wasn't till near the end that the British magical world took notice and Dumbledore went to Europe... well I have conflicting accounts from that point. What I do know is that Charles did not survive and Dumbledore returned home."

"Mr. Patil, you know a little of guns?"

"Yes, but I have never seen any like these."

"Many of these can fire several times in a few seconds, at a range of 0-500 meters or more. Then there is something like these," he pointed to a longer heavier weapon. "They shoot hundreds of bullets a minute at that range, and all these weapons are fifty years old or more. Dan and I can tell you they are nothing compared to the modern versions. A normal man can carry the comparable power of that weapon, and be fully trained for combat in a matter of months, even our police have access if things are bad enough."

Slowly he led them around the corner to a room with dimmed lights and a film playing on a loop. "Then there are these, our most horrible weapons, and even these have been 'improved' in the last fifty years till what you will see are like toys. We all just pray that they are never used again. What you are about to see are tests, and then the final one was actually used in Japan at the end of the War."

Inside the film ran, tests in the deserts of Nevada, and finally pictures from the back of a bomber as the city of Hiroshima was consumed by a mushroom cloud.

Tears ran down the eyes of the magicals as the film ended. "That's horrible," said Augusta Longbottom. "The thought that muggles even made something so horrible, and then fell so far as to use it."

"You're right Augusta, it is a horrible weapon, _but _that weapon has saved more lives by far than it has taken." They all looked at James strangely. "First it ended WWII in the Pacific theater quickly, if conventional war had continued the cost of life would have been astronomical. Take Iwo Jima, it's a small island one of hundreds along the way to Japan that would have needed to be secured, it had over 18km of tunnels, that held over 22,000 Japanese soldiers. It took 35 days and a lot of American men to secure it. The Japanese soldiers were steadfast fighters and fought to the very last, but in the face of two such bombs they surrendered quickly, because of the threat of more."

"Next it has forced the nations to talk, no one wants to see what the latest generation will do. Those were bad enough. Finally it has given us entirely new forms of technology, nuclear power, medicines, and improvements on any number of others, including walking on the moon."

"The best thing is no one person can use such a weapon, checks and balances along with safety features make them almost impossible to misuse.

"You say almost?" asked Amelia.

"Nothing is absolute but every government that has them keeps careful watch and it would take nearly an act of god to get it done."

The rest of the tour was very quiet.

Later that night two figures sat at the bar in their hotel, sipping drinks and remembering.

"James, do you think it was wise showing them those things?" asked Dan.

"I think it was, our children are entering a world we don't understand and that has somehow been lost in time. Those books I mentioned, I'll loan them to you, they have a civil war brewing. One that is based around bigotry. 'Purebloods' vs. 'Muggleborn', the basic idea is that the Purebloods have the right to rule because they can trace the lineage of their parents' magic for generations, and everyone else will be their subjects. Unfortunately if I allow Harry to stay in their world he will be right in the middle of it, he has the title of Lord in their society as well as being seen as a wizarding hero because he survived the last leader of the Purebloods, Voldemort."

"The last 'engagement' of this Voldemort was on Halloween 1981, in a town called Godric's Hollow," came a voice from behind them, Amelia motioned to the bartender for a bottle and glasses. Mr. Patil, Sirius and Augusta moved to sit at the table.

Amelia continued. "Some time during the early 60's a movement began and for the first time I heard the name _Lord Voldemort_, I have never been able to trace the lineage of that name but he claims to be descended from Salazar Slytherin. He was a rumor for a time and then he and his Death Eaters began to move openly, they would attack anyone that took a stand against them and they struck out into your world at both the families of the muggle borns and also at the non-magicals, they called that muggle hunting. I can't speak for Mr. Patil, but all of us have lost family members to their attacks, or" looking at Sirius sadly, "joining them. That night in Godric's Hollow was to be the night it all changed, something happened and Voldemort disappeared."

Augusta began to speak, "A few months prior to the Potters' death, they, and Frank and Alice were approached by Albus. He told them of a spy in the Death Eaters that had information that _he_ was targeting them, and they needed to go into hiding. They were placed into homes hidden under the Fidelius Charm, I insisted on being the Secret Keeper for my family. I then left the country and only my house elf, Mipsy, and the Potters knew the house location."

Sirius was looking deeply into his glass as he slowly spoke. "James came to us, the Marauders; Remus, Peter and myself, we argued with Dumbledore. Wanted them to leave the country, but Albus warned that it would be bad for the war effort because they were seen as leaders in the community, and James had responsibilities as a Lord to be a symbol. I expect it was the same with you Augusta." She nodded. "Because of the work Remus was doing he was seen as a security risk, and I was very obvious, so we picked Peter at the last moment. I bragged and crowed, made myself a target, and in the end Peter led _him_ right to them."

Augusta then stepped back in, with tears in her eyes. "A few weeks later I returned home, to find what is thought to be the last of the major Death Eater attacks at our family home. Frank and Alice were tortured till they were catatonic, and the Le Stranges and young Crouch were ransacking the Manor. With some of the Auror friends of Frank and Alice they were captured. They thought they would know something of Voldemort."

James looked at Amelia. "Did you notice anything interesting about those stories?"

She thought for a moment. "Yes, one name was either very prominent or strangely missing…. Albus Dumbledore."


	18. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER 19**

For the first time in Minerva's memory Hogwarts stood empty. She was standing on the grounds near the gates awaiting the arrival of the security and curse breaking experts that were recommended, they were the première Gringotts teams and from what she had heard one of her students was an intern on the curse breaking team.

"Headmaster McGonagall? I am Sharktooth, from the Gringotts Legal Department, this is Vaultcrusher head of the Curse Breaking Department and Hoardkeeper head of our Security Department." Minerva waved her hand and the gates opened. "We are here ahead of the teams to complete our paperwork, and confirm that the castle and grounds are empty."

"Just myself and Hagrid, the Gamekeeper and Keeper of the Keys, remain. The House Elves have been temporarily reassigned to the produce fields, and temporary housing arranged there. The ghosts are still inside as well as Peeves, the poltergeist, but they cannot leave."

"Understood. This is the contract, as negotiated." He opened his valise and withdrew a stack of pages. "We ask that you and your grounds keeper remain within the area that will be indicated by the yellow ribbons, for your own safety. Anything that is found will be brought to you to be identified, unless it exceeds the minimum danger assessment, if too large you will be escorted to the object once the area is secure. As per agreement any items identified as valuable, and not of goblin origin, will be placed in a trust to identify the owner; if none are found 50% of the sale value will be presented to the teams as a bonus. Any Goblin-made objects will be checked for goblin contracts and returned to the rightful owners. Is this acceptable?"

"Yes."

"Very good, please sign where indicated and on the last page please sign with this Blood Quill. You will be countersigned by myself, Vaultcrusher, and Hoardkeeper. It has already been signed by the Board of Governors."

She quickly signed, and they walked to Hagrid's hut. Hoardkeeper pulled some stakes and ribbon from his bag and began placing a perimeter around it.

"'lo 'eadmaster, master Goblins."

"Good morning Hagrid. Thank you for playing host for me."

"Not a problem 'eadmaster, you'll be good company, as interesting as their work may be I think they will not be 'aven much time to talk."

"No I don't expect that they will, and Minnie is fine when the students are away."

"'on't want to get in the habit 'eadmaster," he said looking embarrassed and running a hand over his head. "I tend ta forget."

Over the next two hours they watched the teams moving equipment onto the grounds and into large tents set up just outside the main courtyard. The pair were just sitting down to lunch when a young man with long red hair and a trench coat of dragon hide, and some form of fang worn as an earring started down the hill. He waved at them and jogged the last few yards.

"Professor, Hagrid, it's good to see you again!"

"Bill Weasley! It looks as if your new job really agrees with you."

"Oh yeah, I'm up to a full share as of this job! Only another year or so and I'll be a full curse breaker, I think a year after that I'll have enough to buy my own home."

Minerva was surprised. "They pay that well?"

"With that and bonuses for treasure, and they are even helping with investments. I'm learning a lot, goblins are strict, but fair."

They sat down and had a simple lunch, and settled into conversation.

"So you're the Headmaster now?"

"Yes, Albus felt it was time to slow down, he was too divided on too many jobs. Will you be starting on the castle after lunch?"

"No, _I_ won't," he replied. "The initial survey and catalog will start today, but I will not be on that team. The plan is to clear the Great Hall and the entrance then begin from the lowest area and work our way up. They will catalog each rune, enchantment and piece they find, its slow and exacting work, and seeing as the High Chieftain wants it done right the best are doing it. My group will begin analysis of things as they are found and brought out of the castle. Before we are done the entire castle will have been emptied, cataloged and packed carefully away."

Minerva nodded, but wondered why the chieftain held such an interest in Hogwarts. "Do they have any idea how long it will be?"

"Before the school is scheduled to reopen after the holidays, otherwise there are penalties spelled out in the contract."

Up in the Headmaster's office another discussion is beginning in a very different language.

"It looks very empty with all of the paintings and the trinkets missing, does it not my chief."

"Yes brother, have the wards been put in place to keep the ghosts isolated?"

"Yes my chief, and a group of shadow warriors have gone to question them and the house elves about the secrets of the castle. The wording of the contract gives us full access to them and they must answer correctly."

"Excellent, be careful of the portraits, a source believes they act as a form of security answering to the staff. I will headquarter here, has the equipment from Marc-Ange Draco construction arrived?"

"Yes my chief, the two construction sites are almost complete, and will be operational before the fifth of January. He also sent a few boxes along for you personally."

"Have them sent here, after this room is searched. I want a full listing of spells, enchantments, runes, and wards in 3 days. Search the castle from top to bottom starting here, then the entryway and the Great Hall. Use the Great Hall for secondary staging. I also want the dorms carefully checked; each piece is also to have the current user entered in the catalogue. I'll oversee the search here."

"Yes my chief, I'll send up the lead team right away."

"Only blood kin, this room may have hidden secrets left by Dumbledore. As I understand it, he was not even allowed to pack his own clothes."

"Ha... serves him right my chief."

"Brother I have repeatedly asked you not to call me that when we are alone, it annoys me."

"I know that's why I keep doing it." Sharktooth turned and walked out the door.

After the door had closed Ragnarok crossed to the desk and knelt down, looking under the edge he pulled loose a small box. He smiled, as he placed it in his pocket and thought to himself, 'I'll find a better place for the replacement my nephew.'

It took several hours to complete the work on the headmaster's suite. Copies were made of all paperwork, and books, one set for the goblins one set for their allies. The collection was impressive, several books most likely one of a kind; family trees from the purebloods also, with notes hand-written by the ex-headmaster. He had been looking for something, lost bloodlines? It would take further study thought Ragnarok. Entire lists of muggleborn families beginning years before the rise of Voldemort, tracking them as they moved in society where they had conformed, a large number had emigrated during Voldemort's reign of terror and these lists followed them by the schools they moved to, that was IWC paperwork. There was too much information gathered, political rivals, including foreign, domestic, magical and muggle from around the world. If they had not used goblin magic to pass the wards, runes and enchantments it would have been lost. It delighted Ragnarok to think that the old fool thought he was infallible; he made plans to reset those traps and allow them to detonate as Dumbledore had planned.

Next he moved to what he termed the Potter pile, pictures of him and his family before their death, his parents' wands, a stack of sleeping portraits, and his parents' personal journals. He had hidden so much; once it had been cleared and readied he would bring it to Harry, perhaps as an additional Christmas gift? Especially if they could figure out how to wake his parents' portraits.

Last was a group of things of goblin origin, so far he had seen only one than would need to be restored to an owner. If they could find an heir. It was a beautiful sword with a jewel encrusted pommel and tang, and well-enchanted blade. It was a gift in perpetuity to the family of a man that willingly stood in harm's way to defend the goblin king; he was also a founder of this school. As Ragnarok thought of it he wondered how bad the situation had been for the great king Grimslayer to gift his sword in perpetuity and not for a length of time or generations.

A knock drew his attention to the door. "Enter!"

"The packages from the construction company my chief. They came with this letter."

He opened the letter and read it, Marc-Ange was a good man. He had taken it on himself once he heard that they had access to Harry's school to send a 'care package', some of the same surveillance gear they had added to the bank and a way to pass signals through the new towers for monitoring. And the toys! Those wonderful deadly toys. He was glad he had added proficiencies in them to his warriors' training. Now it was just a matter of finding a place for them.


	19. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER 20**

The days passed quickly for James and Harry, with both family and mission responsibilities. Time spent with Marc-Ange and Terry was precious, but both understood things had developed faster than expected. For the first time a goblin Chieftain was meeting with a Prime Minister.

"Prime Minister, Ministers, Directors please allow me to introduce the Chieftain of the Goblin Nation Ragnarok." James gestured to his friend seated next to him."

"Prime Minister, Ministers, Directors thank you for this audience."

"Thank you for coming Master Goblin. Forgive me if that is not the correct way of greeting someone of your stature but I have not as of yet completed my study of your people."

"Sir, your way of address is fine, or feel free to use my name. By treaty with your people we are to be treated as subjects of the crown if on United Kingdom land."

"As you wish then Mr. Ragnarok. This is to discuss what you have found at the school, Hogwarts?"

"Yes sir. I have turned over copies of all the paperwork to your intelligence departments and the work still has a long way to go at the castle as we have run into a few difficulties and damaged areas, but something we found did require this meeting as soon as possible." He gestured to men behind the Minister. "These are copies of pages found in Dumbledore's old office, they were hidden behind extensive wards and protections that should have seen their destruction but goblin magic and skills in curse breaking kept them from being destroyed. We later set off those wards so he would think his secrets safe."

Ragnarok sat patiently while the gathered men had a chance to page through the beginning of the documents. "As you see these are IWC documents on both the magical and non-magical leadership. The troubling part is that he has listed groups of 'dissenters'."

"Hmm... The Americans, Canadians, French, Japanese, Russians, a few others..."

In the meetings it was decided that the office of the Prime Minister was to be moved and the old room changed to a monitored front to keep 'guests' from just popping in, the goblins helping design and implement wards, for a fee. The same groups were starting work on sensitive military installations.

Harry was amazed at the things his uncle had recovered, Terry had taken the pictures and made them into an album, the wands were placed in a special rack in the gun vault at their house, and the portraits... Ragnarok promised to do all he could.

* * *

><p>Before he could believe it two weeks of the new term had passed. Harry was moving through the halls of the school in the near darkness of the corridors and under the invisibility cloak. He had been getting ready to return to his dorm from the control room the goblins had set up for him in a place they said the house elves called the 'come and go room' on the seventh floor. Only by thinking 'Harry Bond's Secret Control Room' while pacing 3 times in front of the tapestry of trolls dancing could you access it. If you thought of a different room configuration while pacing you would get the room you thought of, be it a bathroom, training room, or kitchen it was whatever you needed.<p>

He was about to head out when the surveillance system spotted two figures moving toward the off-limits corridor, he knew it was gone but figured they didn't. Time to have some fun. If he was quick enough he could beat them there.

He sat in the center of the room on top of the trapdoor, as he heard movement in the corridor.

"Are you sure the dose is enough?"

"Of course Charlie said it was enough to knockout a full grown dragon!"

The door creaked open and a large hunk of beef landed a few feet into the room.

Harry chuckled. "Just come on in guys, it's gone."

"Who? Harry? Harry Potter?"

"No It's Harry Houdini! Of course Harry Potter how many Harrys do you know?"

"Oh a couple, who is Harry Houdini?"

"He was a non-magical escape artist and stage magician. He's really famous."

They were twins, red haired and as identical as they could get. "Did you know what was in here?"

"Fluffy?"

"FLUFFY!?" They almost yelled as a pair. "That thing was named Fluffy?"

"Yeah, that seems to be the consensus when they hear the name. He's one of Hagrid's pets. He had been sick and he was put here so he couldn't get in trouble. They took him out over the holidays."

The pair looked suspicious, "And below the trap door?"

"A large cutting of a plant that was being fertilized with Fluffy's..."

"Ah, and beyond that?"

"Don't know, but it's empty now."

They nodded. "Why sit here?"

"It's quiet. Your brother snores."

At that they laughed. "We thought he had one of those stones, like Neville."

"I think he made someone mad and they 'borrowed' it, but whoever did that isn't making him suffer, they're torturing the roommates." The twins looked at each other then Harry.

"Sorry."

"It's ok. Just put it back. I've been sleeping here for days waiting for you two." He stood. "I'll be in the common room, asleep. When you've satisfied your curiosity put the stone back then wake me so I can go to bed." With that he walked out the door. As soon as it was closed he spun his cloak back around him.

A few seconds later the door opened. "Where did he go?" came from Twin 1

"I don't know, he's not showing up on the map!"

Harry could see them looking at an old piece of parchment, looking closer he could see it was some form of map...

"I don't know how he's done it, but the map isn't showing him. He couldn't have got far in just that few seconds," continued Twin 2

"Did he apparate?"

"No, it's not possible in the castle... everyone else is showing. Maybe he knows a way that isn't on the map?"

Harry moved away from them and made the best speed he could back to the dorm. Once there he slid his wand into the space behind the frame on the portal entrance and it clicked open, man those goblins know their stuff he thought.

Five minutes later the twins arrived and assaulted him with questions.

"Ok Harry, how are you a firsty able to outdo us at our own game?"

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"You disappeared in seconds, then somehow got into the dorms without waking the fat lady!"

It was like watching a tennis match, only funny.

"Still have no idea what you're on about." He let a small twitch happen at the end of his mouth. "Just, please, put the stone back. I'm going to bed." He then hopped up and went upstairs, leaving a pair of slack jawed twins behind him.

Sitting in his bed, thumbing quickly through a book he sighed when the snoring stopped, after taking in the silence for a moment he looked back at the book. Perfect he thought, and reset the alarm on his watch.

The next morning Harry ate quickly and alone in the kitchen, he then stayed out of the way till his classes began. When his friends arrived they were still laughing.

"Harry there you are!" said Neville. "Where have you been? You really missed it! Someone finally got the twins! They came to breakfast as bald as the day they were born, even their eyebrows were gone!"

The girls were watching Harry closely. "Really? That's great! Those two needed a taste of their own medicine. Any idea who did it?"

"No, they were…"

"Class in your seats," said McGonagall. "Despite the disruptions this morning it is time for lessons."

As Hermione sat down Harry could just hear her mutter, "Like you don't know a thing Potter."

He smiled and said, so only she could hear over the sound of people pulling out their supplies, "Sorry Ms. Granger, I'll buy you a new bottle of Nair."

She smiled then, but a new thought entered her mind... 'How the bloody hell did he get into the _girls_ dorms?'


	20. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER 21**

Headmistress McGonagall sat comfortably in _her_ office chair for the first time, she had thought that she would keep some of the things in the office the same but the old chair and desk they had to go. Her new desk was smaller, gone was the gold filigree, trinkets and toys. Her new desk was made of warm colored burl wood carved with Celtic designs and a simple set of in and out boxes were placed on the corners. Her chair was of smooth and supple red leather with gold stitching, the only nod to the house that she had been head of for so long.

She felt like a child just sitting down for her promised dessert after a dinner of liver and brussels sprouts.

She had finished going over the school's financials just before the start of the new term and had found that they were a mess, not that there was any thing missing just that they had not been kept well, and it had revealed a large amount of undesignated galleons on hand. Actually there was a large enough surplus, for several neglected maintenance and equipment issues to be addressed along with other necessary changes she was making.

Next came the issues brought to light by the goblins, these incensed her more than anything... well almost anything. They had removed all of the stones from the entrance and replaced them as unknown runes had been carved in them, they were still under study. The moving stairwells had to be redone as well; something in the past had disrupted their magic and made them random. She had to admit it was funny to see confused goblins, they still could not figure out what had caused the original disruption. The final thing was the sheer volume of stuff that had been in the castle, Merlin only knew where it all came from, the goblins had even suggested asking for the students' help to sort what was moved to the holding tents after anything dangerous had been removed.

But now it was time for her dessert, she was staring at her desk as a knock came at her door.

"Come!"

"Good evening Minerva. I'm not late am I?" asked the small man entering the room.

"Not at all Filius we have a few more minutes. So how is your new role as Deputy Headmaster?"

"I'm settling in, the administration side of things is actually quite fun. Though I will miss being a head of house."

"As will I my friend, but the charter is quite specific we are to teach to keep in contact with students but we cannot also be head of any house." Filius nodded his head.

"When are the other changes beginning?"

"Right about... now." A knock came from her door, and Filius looked at her with surprise, she smiled.

"Come!" The two remaining old heads of house walked into the room. "Welcome, come in and please have a seat." A small platform rose out of the floor next to her chair for Filius.

"I asked you all here before the staff meeting to take care of a little business." As Filius stood on the platform he palmed his wand handle.

"Severus, you are one of the finest Potion Masters I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, _but _you have no business being a teacher, or head of house. As of this moment you are no longer employed by this institution. You have until the end of the week to vacate staff housing."

"You brought me here to humiliate me? I am the _BEST_ Potion Master these halls have seen..."

"**Silence!**" she yelled, and Filius waved his wand quickly and he was holding Severus's wand and had cast a silencing charm before the man could gain his feet. "This is being done because of these!" She waved her hand and a pair of books appeared. "This is a listing of punishments, house points, and complaints, You have over 350 complaints since you started, the majority quashed by Dumbledore, you have normally removed over two times the amount of points of any two of us combined! While giving more than I thought possible to your own house. This is a listing of what students wished to do at any career counseling and what they went on to do after graduation." Severus began to pale. "We have seen a marked drop in _ANY_ job that required a potions N.E.W.T. including Healers, Aurors, and others. I think we will hold on to your wand till you are prepared to go, have a house elf help you pack and you are to have no further contact with students within these grounds including your godson Draco." He turned and move toward the door his cape billowing. "And Severus, be sure to take only _your_ things, all the ingredients and potions are property of Hogwarts." She allowed herself a smile as he slammed the door.

Holding up her hand to stop her friends from speaking, "I want him watched at all times, even in the restroom, pass the word to all ghosts and house elves as well. Nigel, you still have a portrait in the DMLE correct? Good, please ask Madam Bones and a group of Aurors join us as soon as possible."

"Minerva…. Minnie!" Pomona Sprout chided. "Wipe that canary-eating grin off your face, you'll scare the others."

Minerva turned and her smile softened, "Well I am a cat at heart." Laughter could be heard as they walked to the staff meeting.

"Good evening, and welcome to the first staff meeting of 1992," said Minerva. "As you know Albus has taken a sabbatical until the end of the year. What you may not know is he has requested his retirement as Headmaster begin at that time." Gasps came from around the room. "The new Board of Governors allowed that to be the public announcement but in reality he is no longer Headmaster, and I agreed to become Headmistress at the Board's request."

"The Board and I also thought it prudent to have an audit of the school's accounts, equipment, wards, grounds, and staff since not only was the sitting Board replaced but we had a major security breach with the Quirrell incident and the decision was made to return to our original charter."

"Filius has agreed to take over as Deputy, and I think most of you have noticed Severus has not joined us. Upon review of records kept automatically by Hogwarts it was decided that his services were no longer required."

"I'd like to introduce Martin Cross, he will be taking over DADA he has been teaching at the Auror Academy for a number of years and will be here till the end of the next school year. Any books you wish to change or equipment you need, give a list to Filius please. Money has been set aside for this Filius as I feel that the parents of our children need not be penalized." Both men nodded.

"Next is Nicolas and Penelope Robins..."

"Nick and Penny please Headmistress," said a man with steel grey eyes and dark brown hair, leaning forward; his wife nodded as he spoke, her bright blue eyes sparkling and her short black hair falling in her face.

"Ok... Nick, Penny. Nick will be taking over potions, while Penny will be taking over for Professor Binns in History of Magic. Charity, she will also help you update Muggle Stud… I'm sorry it will be called Non-Magical Studies from now on, she has a few ideas for new books as well, or if you wish you may switch classes. Please let me know before breakfast."

"Professor Babbling? Would you please take over as Head of Slytherin?"

"It's an honor."

"I'm sorry to say that their former head has allowed much, it will be an uphill battle. Please be careful."

"I was a Slytherin, I'll be alright," she said with a smile.

"Professor Vector? Will you be the Head of Ravenclaw?"

"Of course, I'd be happy to."

"And Professor Sinistra? Will you take over for me in Gryffindor?"

"Most certainly Headmistress."

"Madam Hooch, new equipment will be ordered for flying classes and Quidditch. No longer will students be allowed to use their own brooms for school matches. There will be one type for Seekers, one for Beaters, one for Chasers, and one for Catchers. Please have your recommendations on my desk by the end of the week."

"All heads of house will now be required to spend at least an hour a night 5 days a week in their common rooms to help with studies. If you need an extra hand or you need a night off please see myself or Filius. We may no longer be head of house but we want to know all our students."

"I have also started an open door policy as Headmistress, the only time the gargoyle will be blocking access will be when I am not present in the office. I want all of you as well as the students, to know that this school is my priority."

"Please post in the common rooms and have the prefects make an announcement that there will be a mandatory meeting of the student body immediately after breakfast in the morning, but do not discuss what it will be about."

"There will be other changes over the summer but we will talk about that then."

Returning to her office she found Amelia patiently waiting, she informed her of what Dumbledore and Snape had done. Amelia was not sure that a crime was actually committed in the eyes of the law but the solicitors would be consulted. In the meantime she would place Snape under surveillance.


	21. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER 22**

Snape was arrested for sedition and treason just as he stepped off the grounds. He was moved quietly to a secluded holding cell and a case was being prepared, very quietly. It was shaping up to be a very late night for the head of the DMLE as she had the Minister of Magic, Dumbledore and a tribunal roused from bed to discuss what the decisions of the Solicitor General had come to.

"Members of the tribunal, Minister, I am sorry for having you roused out of bed this evening but a very real threat has been uncovered to our way of life and it must be addressed. Please also understand that all of the members of this proceeding, any defendants, and witnesses have been magically bound to not discuss or disclose any thing revealed here as a matter of Ministry security on pain of magic-loss until such time as set by unanimous vote by all the officers herein, and a further reminder to the tribunal of your oaths of impartiality. You are to hold no loyalty here but to the law. Aurors please seal the room and do as we have discussed."

As they moved to place additional wards and step outside the room Amelia calmly turned and, quietly cast "Stupefy! Incarcerous! Accio wand!", all in quick succession at a distracted Dumbledore. He slumped in his chair, then was bound, and two wands flew out of his robes into her hands. She then walked over and placed power suppression cuffs on him, locked him to the chair, and slowly and very thoroughly searched him, all the time ignoring the protests of the others in the room.

She stood after she was sure that he had nothing hidden on him, even taking his glasses. Then she banished his clothing and replaced them with a set from behind the prosecution desk. Again protests came from those gathered.

"Please bear with me a few more moments and we will begin." She then turned as Severus Snape was led into the room dressed to match Dumbledore. "Place Mr. Snape in the first holding area, and move Mr. Dumbledore to the third, and raise the privacy screens I do not want them to be able to see each other. Make sure their suppression cuffs stay on, and restrict their movements. Then wake Mr. Dumbledore."

She spread Dumbledore's possessions out on the table, and began to catalogue and tag them, then cast several detection charms on them, as she heard a startled gasp from the direction of Dumbledore.

"Amelia, Cornelius, what is the meaning of this!" screamed Dumbledore.

"It is Madam Bones to you Mr. Dumbledore. You are being held on charges of aiding and abetting sedition and treason and/or sedition and treason."

"WHAT! I have dedicated my life to the Greater Good of the wizarding world!"

"Then how do you explain what was found in the audits at Hogwarts?"

"What do you mean Amelia?

"I will tell you once more Mr. Dumbledore we are no longer on a first name basis, it is Madam Bones to you! As for what I mean, these are copies of the house point system, punishments, teacher complaints, and career counseling and follow-ups that are kept automatically by the magic in Hogwarts."

"What? How did you get access?"

"There was a complete audit done of the castle from the ground up. It was even found that you did not turn over complete control of the school, but that was corrected by the new board of governors. Headmistress McGonagall is now in complete command of the castle, magic, and wards.

"But I'm still head…"

"You are not! The agreement was that you were to place McGonagall as Headmaster after the Halloween incident! Merlin only knows what was lost when she tried to gain access to some things in your old office, when the wards you placed exploded. You are lucky she wasn't hurt or killed!"

"I would have turned..."

"You were not to have access after those events and you knew it! As for the rest, would you like to guess what these will show?"

"I never found them necessary; my professors had my complete trust. It is too bad that Minerva did not follow my example."

Odd looks were given by all, and the same thoughts echoed through each mind, thoughts that Amelia gave a voice to.

"Why would you ignore such a tool to help your students? It could improve the school, show possible trouble areas and any number of things."

"There was no need. Everything was running smoothly."

"You think so? What would you say if I said that there has been a problem finding qualified students to enter healing, or Auror training? Do you think using those books could have helped with that?"

"I'm sure that it is just people trying to get on after the war with Voldemort. It will go up soon when those children born after the war start to graduate, those the same age or younger than your niece, Susan."

"What if I could show you were wrong?" Dumbledore just sat with his eyes twinkling, an air of challenge around him.

"Ok, You still believe you are infallible, let's see if this one sinks in." She pulled out a set of papers. "Let's see, this person has 376 complaints since they began, that was over thirty a year, no duplicates were counted. That means over thirty entirely new complaints each year, not follow-ups, _entirely new files_ opened on students, and I suspect that any parents with multiple children stopped trying as well. The listing of House point reductions are almost triple of any other two professors combined, and House points given almost five to one in favor of a single house. And finally the saddest of all, an amazing number of people that fail to qualify for post O.W.L.S. level continuation in a _CORE_ course! Even then it is almost three to one from a single house! Entire classes almost entirely made up of a single house going into N.E.W.T.S. This person has almost single-handedly kept the Auror force and Healer core to near the same numbers as the last year of the war, or about half of the pre-war number. From what we have gathered from these documents, if even a quarter of them completed the N.E.W.T.S. and went on as they indicated they wanted in career counseling prior to their O.W.L.S., which is probably low, we could have expected to be well on our way to full strength in both!"

"And who would this person have been?"

"Severus Snape." He looked stunned.

"But… He… We…" Inside his mind the gears were spinning madly, trying to find a way out of this. 'At least they did not get my notes! But it looks like I must sacrifice my knight', he thought. "He deceived me?"

"The question is, how long has he? **You** vouched for him at the end of the war! **You** gave a person just out of school the potions position. **You** made him Head of Slytherin House. **You** let him do this on your watch!"

"I... I was so sure of his return to the light when he came to me wanting to help to defeat Voldemort, but before any of his information could be used Harry defeated Voldemort. I thought it best to show trust, and allow his return. Evidently he played on my trust, I would never do anything to jeopardize our future, but I suspect he is a master of Occlumency and Legilimency."

She turned a little to her right, "And what do you think Mr. Snape?" Dumbledore's face paled in shock as the barriers fell and he could see his fellow prisoner.

Snape just gave them both a disgusted look and turned away, his oaths causing his voice to die in his throat.

"If neither of you have anything to say the tribunal may retire to deliberate and look over the evidence."

Within a matter of hours Snape was on his way to Azkaban, and Dumbledore was placed quietly into St. Mungo's for observation and evaluation under an assumed name. With the understanding that if he was released he would no longer hold any power in the government, as his decisions were suspect. Either way an announcement would be made that he was withdrawing from the ICW and as Chief Warlock for health reasons.

Dumbledore was not pleased with this outcome, but he would bide his time and create a new plan.


	22. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER 23**

"As you no doubt read over the Christmas break Headmaster Dumbledore is on sabbatical till the end of the year. Those plans have changed, he has chosen to retire." Looks of shock ran through the hall, along with gasps. "It is my understanding that there will be a further announcement in the Daily Prophet, either today or tomorrow depending on what their deadline was.

"I know that you are all concerned about his abrupt departure and the reasons behind it. From what I understand he is suffering from health problems brought on by exhaustion. As you know he is also Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of our own Wizengamot, Headmaster here at Hogwarts, and a much sought after source of collaboration and research; any one of those could be a career for a person. We wish him the best and our hopes go with him for his recovery."

"The Board of Governors has asked me to become Headmistress, and I have accepted." Cheers erupted from the Gryffindor table and applause from most of the others. "Professor Flitwick has consented to becoming Deputy Headmaster." This time the Ravenclaw table cheered.

"The Board has also chosen to place all rules under review, along with ensuring that we represent what the founders of this school wished by returning to our original Charter. The new rules are being posted as we speak in the common rooms, a set of the rules and Charter is being placed on each of your beds, and a set is being sent to your homes along with the notice of changes to the staff.

"As you can see we have not been joined by Professor Snape, he did not agree with some of the changes wished by the Board of Governors and has chosen to seek employment elsewhere."

Harry wasn't sure if he could still hear after the cheers erupted following the announcement that Snape was no longer a Professor at Hogwarts. He did notice that a few at the Slytherin table were fighting their emotions, with some it was rage, but for a few it was relief and/or joy, and one of those was someone he needed to speak with, Daphne Greengrass.

Soon order was restored, and the announcements continued.

"I would like to announce your Heads of House: Professor Sinistra; Gryffindor, Professor Sprout; Hufflepuff, Professor Vector; Ravenclaw, Professor Babbling; Slytherin." Cheers again rang in the hall, Harry thought everyone looked happy with the new choices, well... with the exception of a few Slytherins for some reason.

"The Heads of House will set up at least one hour Monday thru Friday to be available in your common rooms to help with your studies, or discuss house issues, along with their normal office hours. In the event that they are not available myself or Professor Flitwick will fill in for them.

"You will have new professors for, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, History of Magic, and Non-Magical Studies, the name has been changed from Muggle Studies.

"DADA will be taken over by Auror Captain Cross." She gestured to her left and a man stood. Harry thought he was a little younger than his father, what hair he had was close cropped and blond, he wore black robes with a scarlet and white ribbon around his shoulders, reminding Harry of the ones that a priest wore. "He also teaches at the Auror Academy and has consented to teach here till the end of next school year as well. You may see some Auror Trainees in the castle; they will serve as training assistants, and will be in dark blue robes.

"Professor Robins… who wishes for you to call him Nick..." she said with a grimace. "will be taking over the Potions classes, and will be expanding the N.E.W.T.S. requirement to Acceptable. Any wishing to qualify please see him as soon as possible as he will be beginning specialized classes to get you caught up, this is open to sixth and seventh years. Those preparing for your O.W.L.S please see his wife Penny as she has kindly offered tutoring to any from fifth year and below, and she also holds a mastery.

"Penny, as she wishes to be called, will also be taking over the Non-Magical Studies course. This has been added as a core class for all students up to third year and beyond third year as Non-Magical History, an elective as it is listed in the original Hogwarts Charter.

"Professor Burbage will be taking over the History of Magic Class, and will be reintroducing Magical Studies. This will be a core class up to third year and will transition into the current History of Magic class as an elective from third year. This was also in the original Charter. The class will be moved across the hall and while I understand it is a little smaller, hopefully it will not be permanent as we are trying to get Professor Binns to understand he does not need to continue teaching." Some laughter was heard but quieted quickly.

"Divination will no longer be an elective, it will be by special request only, and any third years will need to choose another elective and attend specialized classes to catch up. Any year above that will be allowed to continue, but I would suggest that anyone below fifth think seriously about changing electives, as tutors will be supplied if class sizes are large enough.

"New equipment will be ordered for flying classes and Quidditch. No longer will students be allowed to use their own brooms for school matches. There will be one type for Seekers, one for Beaters, one for Chasers, and one for Catchers." Once again the room was filled with claps and whistles.

"That covers most of the changes; a full list will be with your packets. Please look them over and commit the rules to memory. You will have today off giving you a long weekend, while all of the teachers will be available in the faculty offices. If I am not there I will be in my office. I have instituted an open door policy; if you have questions or concerns please stop by. If the gargoyle is not guarding the staircase feel free to come see me.

"And finally for any of you concerned over new materials or books they will be provided, at Hogwarts' expense. You should have them by mid-morning tomorrow at the latest. Dismissed."

Harry motioned his friends to go on and said he would meet them upstairs, then he moved past the other tables and approached a small group of Slytherins that were still speaking next to their table. One was a girl tall for her age with golden blond hair down to the middle of her back and penetrating blue eyes who gave off an air of confidence and poise. At her side were her ever present companions a young man with very close cropped dark hair and eyes he only knew as Blaise, and Tracey Davis, with her short severely cut bob and deep brown eyes.

"Excuse me Ms. Greengrass, Ms. Davis, and I'm sorry but I don't remember your last name Mr. ?"

"Zabini."

"Yes, Mr. Zabini. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I was wondering if I could have a word in private, with Ms. Greengrass?"

"Why would you need words with me Mr. Potter?" she asked, her face showing confusion.

"Truthfully, I found..."

"What are you doing here _Potter_?"

Turning with a leisurely pace, "Mr. Malfoy, such a pleasure to see you and your friends again. I've been wondering when we would have time to continue our discussion," he said, extending his hand and stepping into his personal space, forcing Malfoy into stepping back into his bodyguards who immediately stepped back into the girl that was with them. "I so enjoy discussions of finance, and I never did find out what your father does. I mean that does make all the difference in how you handle things, don't you think?" He looked at his hand, and looked hurt that it was not taken. "But I do feel it is rude to ignore my original conversation, especially when I was the one to initiate it. Please feel free to send me a note about a time to finish our discussion and I'll get back to you," he finished with a sappy smile, then stepped away and returned to his original position facing Daphne's group.

As he faced her he winked and let a real smile bloom on his face. "As I was saying…" He watched their eyes as they flickered over his shoulder and began to widen. Before they could say anything he began to pivot on the ball of his foot to move to the left away from whatever threat was coming. He was hesitating, his movements were not as fluid as he felt they should be, Tyger would kill him but these people were untrained, and that was always the type of opponent Tyger warned him of in unarmed combat. Only this time was not training, this time he bled for his mistake. The curse caught him in the left shoulder; he felt the bones break as it spun him onto the Slytherin table. He let the momentum carry him across onto the floor where he could get a second to recover and some cover. He immediately rolled under the table.

The screams began, a curse hit the floor where Harry had just been. He took a deep breath, grimaced against the pain, and began to move. He rolled back out from under the table closest to Malfoy and his goons, swung his leg around sweeping the leg of Malfoy and using the momentum to regain his feet as Draco fell. Advancing he rammed his fist into the solar plexus of Goon 1., then spinning he did the same with his elbow to Goon 2. The girl was already backing off as he stepped closer to the table. He picked up one of the empty plates and backhanded Draco in the face with it.

"Stay down! Bad dog!"

Turning to Daphne and company he said, "I apologise for the display of violence, I meant to diffuse the situation and my tactic for that failed. I am afraid that I will not be able to speak with you at this time, as I imagine an angry Headmistress and Madam Pomfrey will be claiming my time."

"I believe you are correct Mr. Potter," came a voice from behind him, thick with a Scottish brogue.

"Oh, good you're here," he said, slowly turning, he was beginning to shake. Looking down at his arm he continued, "I think my shoulder is broken." Blood started to drip from his hand, as he collapsed.


	23. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER 24**

"…Piercing hex shattered his shoulder, the upper humerus and scapula, there is damage to the muscles as well as soft tissue damage. He was lucky there was no more damage than there was it came very close to the carotid artery, he could have bled out in seconds," said a voice he recognized as Madam Pomfrey's.

"I understand but I will need to talk to him as soon as he is awake, I'm sure that Lucius Malfoy will be informed soon and be on his way here. Granted young Draco's injuries are not serious, I believe he will be on the warpath," replied the voice of Professor Flitwick.

"The lad barely had a bump on the head, and the other two were fine once they caught their breath. I can't believe we had students hexing students in the Great Hall."

"It is discouraging; Mr. Potter has had a very poor year."

"That's the truth," Harry croaked.

"Oh, Mr. Potter, you're awake! Please do not try to move, I had to restrict your movements and I don't need you doing more damage to your body. I have removed the damaged bones," Harry looked at her in shock. "I will give you a potion to regrow them after the muscle has healed."

Harry nodded. 

"Mr. Potter? Do you feel up to answering some questions?"

"Yes, sir."

"Please describe what happened."

"After the assembly I approached Ms. Greengrass and her friends, I was hoping to talk with her privately and arrange an introduction to her father. Her family and mine have a few joint business ventures, and I was hoping for some insight as I do not know much about them. Before I got the chance, Mr. Malfoy arrived. I tried to be polite, but he seems to have some form of dislike for me, that may stem from the way I handled things on the train at the beginning of the year.

"I tried to get him to understand that I was speaking with Ms. Greengrass and if he wanted to speak with me I would be happy to oblige him at a later time if he would arrange it. Although I do not think he did want to talk to me."

"What did you do on the train?"

"I prevented him from possibly making a business _faux pas_, I don't know if his parents deal with import/export but Mr. Patil is very influential in those circles, especially in the textiles and spices areas and he almost insulted his daughters."

"I see, continue."

"I then turned back to try to finish my introduction to Ms. Greengrass, the next thing I knew I was in pain and on the far side of the table. I replied in the way I was taught, and if I did it right none of them were seriously hurt just stunned enough for you, the professors to respond. As my grandfather says 'never start a fight but be sure to finish it, if they do'."

"Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"A friend of my father's, Dad wanted me to be more active, I started it as a form of exercise. I continued it as I have come to understand the philosophy behind it, and the focus it brings."

"I see. Anything else?"

"Not that I know of. Were any of them hurt?"

"No, young Malfoy has a lump on his head but he was out of the hospital wing in just a few minutes, as for Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle they did not even need any medical treatment."

"Good, I don't like hurting people." Harry then settled his head back and tried to sleep.

Harry was woken by loud voices in the hall, he could see from the light in the window that evening was on the way. The doors to the hospital wing burst open, and a tall man that looked like a taller version of Malfoy, only with a more sour look and carrying a cane stormed into the room. He was followed by a platinum blond woman with very regal features, Harry thought that she was one of the more beautiful women he had seen.

"Where is he? Where is the brat that dared hit my son like a common muggle?" His face screwed up into a snarl as he saw Harry and he charged across the room to his bed.

Behind the man Harry could hear people running up the hall calling, "Mr. Malfoy!"

"I will see you expelled! And then tried for assault!" he said, grabbing Harry by the collar of his nightclothes. Harry was pulled upright his left arm dangling at his side, pain from damaged muscles making him cry out.

"Mr. Malfoy you will release my student at **ONCE**!" yelled the Headmistress.

Complying he threw him on to the bed, bringing another cry from Harry as he landed on his arm.

"I want this_ child _expelled for attacking my son! The Aurors are on their way; he will be tried for assault against the heir of Ancient and Noble house Malfoy, heir and the heir to the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Black! I will see his wand snapped, his magic bound, and him removed from our world! Every thing you own in this world will be my son's when this is over!"

"Mr. Malfoy! You will leave this hospital wing this instant! You have no business here! If you do not leave I will have you forcibly removed!" yelled the Headmistress.

"You will do no such thing _McGonagall_," he sneered. "I will be here as he is arrested and I'll snap his wand myself!" Grabbing Harry's wand off the side table and snapping it in half.

"Mr. Malfoy! How dare you! Filius remove him!" Before Malfoy could react he was bound.

"I'll have your jobs for this, how dare you do this to a Noble you damned _HALFBREED_!" His ranting continued as he was removed and the blond witch followed quietly behind.

Madam Pomfrey was at his side quickly. "Drink this it will help with the pain, I'll need to look at that arm again and it will probably be a little longer till I can start re-growing your bones. At the very least till that pain potion is out of your system in a few hours." She started moving her wand over his shoulder and mumbling to herself. 

Harry picked up the broken halves of his wand and looked at them sadly.

"I am sorry Mr. Potter, I did not expect Mr. Malfoy to do anything like that. To both attack you and snap your wand - that was despicable."

"He was worried about his son." Harry said quietly.

"Whether he was or not, that is no excuse. Especially as Draco is not even here in the hospital wing."

"Headmistress, can you get in contact with Aunt Amelia and Sirius? I was going to put this down to nothing more than a schoolyard fight, but I think he is going to try to push the issue and I may need some help."

"I imagine that she is on the way if her Aurors are, but I will make sure and get in touch with Lord Black."

Some time later Sirius slowly opened the door and slipped in. "Hey pup, how are you doing?"

"A little sore. Madam Pomfrey said it will be a few more hours till she can start to re-grow the bones, the pain potions need to be out of my system first."

"Yeah, that's bad stuff. And you can't take anything to help with the pain while they re-grow. Your dad and I had a bad day on the Quidditch pitch, I had my leg re-grown, and your dad had an arm. I think the only thing that distracted us from the pain was bothering Madam Pomfrey," he said with a grin.

"Yes that may be Mr. Black but your godson is a much better patient than you or any one of your friends. Well Lily was a delight, her, Selene, and Alice. You on the other hand, always in trouble, and those stupid pranks," said the Matron joining them to check on Harry. "I thought you said you'd never set foot in here again?"

"Well, times change, and I have a duty to my godson. Especially when his father can't be here, and Lucy is involved."

"I know you all never got along, but I just could not believe he would do or say things like he did."

Harry reached up to the side table and picked up his broken wand, he handed it to Sirius. "Lucy's gift to me, keep track of it till Aunt Amelia gets here. I'll put it with my birth parents' wands when this is over."

"You have their wands Harry?" asked Sirius.

"Yeah, they were in the Potter vaults, along with the journals."

"Have you been studying the spells in them?"

"As much as I could before school, Mum's Charms work will still be a while till I'm to the level to use it, but I have been using Dad's visualization techniques for transfiguration and it's getting easier. I only had about a month, and couldn't cast till I was here. Besides I've promised my father I'd keep up with my non-magical studies as well, and helping the others does take some time. Did you know the twins, Hermione, Susan, Hannah and Neville are all trying to get their Certifications as well?"

Sirius laughed. "So like your mother, she got our entire group to do the same. Remus and I even got our muggle papers, after school."

"Remus, I saw his name in the Journals, his and Peter."

Sirius ran his hand through his hair, it looked oddly like the way his father did it when he was frustrated. "I've started looking for Remus, he's out there someplace, he may have gone muggle. I don't know, but I will find him. Even if he left the country. As for Peter, I've made a promise to myself, you and Amelia, that if I ever get a glimpse of him I'll report it and go home, I will not fail my family again."

"That brings me to another topic Harry, it's one I did not want to lay on you." Sirius hesitated then continued. "My final tests have returned from St Mungo's, and I have always been or am now sterile, you will be the next Lord Black."

"You could adopt."

"No the heir must have Black blood, and I will not let the title fall to Malfoy."

"I imagine that your little secret will be out soon. Unless Amelia gets him to stop, you may need to force the issue of nobility. Draco did strike with a potentially deadly curse, from behind, to the Lord of one and heir of another of the highest ranking Noble Houses."

"Unfortunate, but probably true. I was hoping to not be publicly known as a Lord, let alone the heir of House Black as well. I'm sorry that you won't have any children Sirius, I'd bet you'd be a great dad."

"Don't worry about it pup, the only woman I ever loved wrote me off as a lost cause long ago."

Harry saw Amelia enter and stutter to a stop. "You were in love Sirius? Mum's journal always called you a playboy."

"Yeah, well not all she saw was true. I had a love in school, she was in another house two years ahead of us. Her sister was in our year, I talked her into introducing us during my fourth year, it took all year to get her to agree to go out with me but she finally did, and after our first date I knew I was in love. She was everything I wanted; strong, opinionated, beautiful, and would take none of our Marauder crap. We quietly dated till the summer after her seventh year, when we were discovered by my mother.

"Well old Walburga couldn't stand that her son was dating someone whose family stood firmly in the light; it was bad enough that my friends were on the wrong side, so this was the last straw. She used family magic to confine me to the house, and it took all summer to work out my escape plan. When she went to withdraw me from Hogwarts, I made my escape.

"I sought refuge with your grandfather Charles, he was very understanding. He knew that my father Orion kept her from going overboard, and after his death early that year she had lost her anchor. When she learned of my 'treachery' she tried to have me removed as Head of House, and replace me with my brother Regulus, a man she had molded in her own image. My name was even blasted off the family tapestry, not that it did her any good, she did not have the power to change the Lordship.

"I had a lot on my plate at the time, getting ready for Hogwarts, taking control of House Black and fighting with my family. I let the most important thing slide to writing letters. That was a huge mistake, I wish that I had gone directly to her home and thrown myself at her feet for not being able to see or contact her over the summer.

"By the time I figured out everything I had lost her. I think that she had fallen victim to my mother's lies, I know that Lily did, at least for a while. I always kept an eye on her though; I was even at her wedding. Later I stood and watched her bury her husband as a casualty of the war. Then soon after I was in Azkaban. I have seen a lot of her since I was released and I know that my feelings are as strong as they were but time has passed and she does not feel the same."

Harry watched over Sirius's shoulder as Amelia stood with tears running down her face. Quietly she turned and exited the Hospital Wing.


	24. Chapter 25

**CHAPTER 25**

Harry spent the night in pain, it was just after the sun began to rise that the bone re-growth potion finished running its course and the pain reduced to a dull throb. Sirius had been by his side the entire time, telling him stories of his adventures in Hogwarts and beyond, he was now asleep in the next bed.

Amelia had been in just before the bone re-growth was administered and had taken his statement; she never did look Sirius in the face. Harry had given a full and truthful account, including the way he had kind of punched on Draco's buttons; Sirius had found it quite funny, Amelia not as much. She had then given him a lecture about not antagonizing people, but she also agreed that the younger Malfoy's reaction was much more than could have been expected, as was his father's.

The unfortunate thing was that Malfoy had a lot of political clout and was intent in using it. He had asked for, and received, a hearing in front of the assembled Wizengamot accusing Harry of assault. Amelia then went on to explain that the elder Malfoy was a true political animal, and had been on the Hogwarts Board of Governors until it was disbanded and replaced.

She went on to explain that he and some of the old board members also had seats on the Wizengamot, and did not agree with the changes that were happening at the school. It seems that the things that the Headmistress had told them were only the beginning, and that many more changes were going to happen over the summer to comply with the original charter and they had gotten wind of it, and with the changes already in the school and curriculum, they were going to use this as a chance to put the new administration and Board in a bad light. Highlighting that McGonagall and her staff were incapable of being in charge, and that the new Board's decisions were not in the best interest of the Wizarding World.

Harry had been thinking about these things for most of the night, and had come to a decision, but he needed to be out of here first…

Madam Pomfrey had just given him something for the remaining pain, and something that she said would let him feel like he had had a full night's sleep in a few hours. He quickly fell into a deep slumber.

As soon as he awoke, he was out of bed and looking for the Matron. "Madam Pomfrey? I'm awake now, can I go?"

"Not so fast young man. I need to check everything, does anything hurt?" she asked as she started waving her wand.

"It feels like I've pulled a muscle and it's a little stiff."

"Understandable, you will need to eat as it's almost 10:00 and I'd rather not have you wait till lunch, I'll have something brought up and you need to take another set of nutrient potions. After that I'll check you over once again and as long as you are careful I'll let you go."

"I need to write a couple of letters, can you please have someone bring me my owl?"

"Of course Mr. Potter, I know you will want to inform your father that your recovery is going well."

"Thank you."

He returned to his bed and dug into his robes to pull out his pen, and began writing. He hoped his father and the others would understand.

* * *

><p>Anthony Greengrass sat behind his mahogany desk reading the Saturday morning Daily Prophet, wherein many opinions were included about the changes in staff and the school in general. He had the papers sent by the new Headmistress spread out on his desk and had been in the process of comparing the new charter and rules to the set that he had obtained when his oldest, Daphne, had received her Hogwarts letter. He did like the fact that new rules packets would be sent every year, a great improvement over the fight it had been to get the first set; he was not so sure about some of the other changes.<p>

He sighed as he started folding up the paper, he had turned down the Board of Governors position that he was offered. Now he regretted that decision, he would have liked to hear the arguments that led to these decisions, but at the time he felt that everything was fine at the school, and the offer was just a standard replacement of someone who retired. Little did he know that because of situations behind the scenes the entire board had been removed, and a new one sworn in. He had heard some of the old members at a recent committee meeting, they were not a happy bunch, and the replacement had something to do with changes ratified by them that had been asked for by the ex-headmaster.

He had been putting his business dealings above his family and his duty to the Wizengamot; he now understood what his grandfather had meant when he said 'Our fortune is secondary to our most precious resource, our family'. He also understood that the best way to protect that family was to know what was going on both in the Wizengamot and in Hogwarts.

A tapping at the window brought him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see two owls outside. One was quite large and white as fresh snow and had green irises with strips of blue circling them that startled him; he had seen that once before. When he was a young man he had met a traveler who had a large wolf with him, the wolf had the same sort of eyes, but with blue in the middle and deep brown around the outside. The traveler, whose name escaped him at the moment, had told him it was a sign of a familiar bonding to its master, and in time their eyes would match. Whomever the bird was bonding to was very lucky, a naturally bonded familiar was rare for most were bound by use of rituals, and the bond was much less strong.

The other owl was his daughter's. He had to smile, she must have gotten up very early this morning to have Athena here by this time as it was not quite 11:00, and with the distance involved it was a few hours flight. It must have been something important to roust his little kitten out of bed on a Saturday.

He opened the window and the smaller black owl flew to his desk, the white one stood outside. He looked back and forth between them, finally settling his eyes on the white owl. 'Why didn't it come in?' he thought, the large white owl just stared at him its head slightly cocked to the left. 'Why does it look like it is expecting something, it's a personal owl not a post owl so paying it is out...' Slowly it dawned on the Head of the Greengrass House.

"Please, come in." Immediately the owl flew to the desk. "Amazing, you are well on your way to being a true familiar, aren't you." A sharp hoot was his reply.

He returned to his desk and reached for the snowy owl's leg, but as he did it stepped behind Daphne's owl.

"You want me to read hers first?" It replied with a bob of its head. "So intelligent, your master is very lucky." Again there was a bob of its head. 'So modest too.' he thought as a smile came to his lips.

"Daddy, I heard an owl. Is Athena here? Did Daph send a letter?" asked a small blond girl in light rose colored dress, peeking around the door to the office. "Ooo, she's beautiful, whose is she?" she asked seeing the large white owl on his desk.

"Come here Astoria." The little girl almost ran across the room. "Don…"

"Don't run in the house, I'm sorry. It's just so beautiful."

Gathering the child in his arms, he lifted her up onto his lap. "I don't know whose she is yet, but I want you to look very closely at her, do you see anything special?"

Astoria looked closely, she wanted to reach out and pet it, but she had been scratched by an owl she didn't know before and had learned her lesson. "Its eyes daddy they are two colors!"

"You're right! That is a sign of a natural familiar bond forming, some very lucky witch or wizard is bonding with her, and when it is done her eyes will match her master's." An angry hoot came from the snowy owl as it shook its head. "That's not right?" he asked looking at her, and again she shook her head.

"She understands you?" Astoria asked with surprise, the owl's head bobbed.

"I think she is very intelligent. You didn't like it when I said master." A hoot answered, "So what… Partner?" a bob of the head.

"Do you mind if I pet you?" Astoria asked. The owl hopped across the table and leaned down, allowing the small girl to stroke her.

"That natural bond is very rare, and is known to have great effects on the bonded animal. As each one's gifts are different no one has ever been able to study the bond completely. Why don't you go find Mummy, and get some water and treats for both of them while I read the letters. Ok?"

Hopping down, she said, "Ok, Daddy!" and hurried off.

As he reached across the desk, Athena lifted her leg to make it easier to remove the letter. As he unfolded it he was surprised at the length. At the fifth of the double-sided pages his wife, Samantha, stepped into his office with Astoria. She could see he was upset. Astoria placed the water on the desk and started feeding some treats to both owls.

"No more than three Torie, we don't want to make them sick."

"Yes Mum."

"Torie? Did you finish the writing assignment I gave you?"

The little girl looked down, "I was working on it when I heard the owl."

"Finish giving the treats to the owls and go back to it. You know I wanted it done before lunch."

"Ok, Mum," she said finishing up and walking toward the door. "It was nice to meet you Ms. Owl. Daddy if you find out her name please tell me, ok?"

"Sure thing sweet pea."

After she was out of the office, Samantha shut the door with a click. "Tony, what's wrong? Did something happen to Daphne?"

"No Sam she's fine. It seems Lord Potter-Black was trying to make contact with her, but just as he was asking to speak with her in private he ran afoul of Draco Malfoy. He… tweaked the young Malfoy, pushed him a little though all the time very polite with what he said. The recounting Daph gives is actually kind of funny, he dismissed him with a verbal backhand all the while being very polite. The most threatening thing he did was step closer and offer his hand."

"When he turned back to Daph's group the young Malfoy attacked him with an up close piercing hex." Sam was stunned. "Right in the middle of the Great Hall, next to the Slytherin table."

"Is he still alive?" she asked quietly.

"According to Daph, he almost dodged the hit from behind. Then he cleaned the clock of young Malfoy and his two bodyguards, without drawing a wand and with one arm completely useless." He laughed then, "Then he apologized for using violence in front of them, he even went so far as to apologize for not finishing the conversation before he collapsed."

"He sounds like a strong young man."

"Mmmm, Here is the letter read it for yourself. She talks a lot about the new books as well, she is excited by some of them, they were there early last night. She must have been looking through them half the night."

After passing the note to his wife, he reached for the mail still attached to the snowy owl's leg. She turned to offer the one on the other foot. When it was loose she hooted and flew through the window.

He slowly read, a feral grin passing over his face.

"Sweetheart? That notification from the Wizengamot? Where did you put it? We should be sure to be there early for the special session.

She looked up from her daughter's letter, with a confused look. 'He never goes to the special sessions! He wants me to go with him? What is so important?'

"And tell Torie her name is Hedwig."


	25. Chapter 26

**CHAPTER 26**

A white owl swung westward across the city of Cambridge and came to rest on the window of the West Road Concert Hall. It pecked on the window till the room's lone occupant looked up from the piano. Standing the man walked to the window and gently opened it.

"Someone is impatient aren't they girl. You have a letter for me?" She stuck her leg out, he leaned unsteadily over the shelves and undid the note. As he finished the owl flew from the window.

"I take it you're in a hurry then."

He walked back to the piano, and unfolded the note. He let out a sigh as he finished and a tear rolled down his face. It had been a long time since he walked the streets of the wizarding world and now he was being asked to return.

Long years ago he wanted his family to leave, move away after one of the Death Eater attacks cost the life of his beloved wife, Ann, as it was too much for him. His son, Albert, did not think they could do it. A huge fight followed and on that very night he moved away and left Albert the family home, but before he could pass on his lordship the old estate had been razed leaving him alone in the world, or so he thought till today.

For the first time in a long time he felt hope; his granddaughter, Isobel, had survived and was at Hogwarts.

* * *

><p>Harry walked down the stairs and to the Headmistress's office. Knocking he waited for a reply.<p>

"Come!"

Stepping in quickly he shut the door. "Aunt Minnie, I need to go to London."

"Harry, I can't..."

"Yes, you can. I need to go as Lord Potter-Black."

"So I take it you spoke with Amelia?"

"Yes, there is no way he is getting away with this let alone using the threat of my own house to do it."

"You're going to claim both houses?"

"I wish I didn't need to, but yes I am. We don't know how it happened but according to the medical scans, Sirius will never have children and his heir needs to be a blood heir. I need to go to Diagon Alley and get a new wand, and find a solicitor. If you could get hold of Neville to accompany me, I will not be around a Malfoy or their cronies without a way, other than my fists to defend myself."

"I can..."

"Just ask please."

"Dill?"

"Yes Miss?"

"Ask Neville Longbottom to come to my office please."

"Yes Miss."

A few minutes later Neville arrived.

"Neville it's time, we need to go to London."

"Headmistress I, Lord Longbottom need to accompany Lord Potter-Black."

"Lord Longbottom... When did... When did Augusta allow you to attain your title?"

"Before the year began, on my birthday, the day before Harry. She knew it would offer me protection, of the type that the elder Malfoy doesn't think Harry has."

"Neville, we need to get hold of your Gran. I need a wizard solicitor as soon as possible, one that can take it to Malfoy."

Soon the pair of young lords were stumbling out of the floo in the Leaky Cauldron. The two of them headed directly to the alley and into Ollivander's and as he entered Harry allowed his rings to show, as did Neville.

"Mr. Ollivander," called Harry, "I have no time for games today please step out."

"Mr. Po... Sorry M'lord, Lord Potter." His eyes widened even more. "Lord Longbottom? I expected to see you before now Lord Longbottom, may I ask what wand you are using?"

"My father's, my Gran gave it to me. I thought I'd use it to honor him."

"May I check it please, the wand chooses the wizard, and even if it is a parent's wand it may not be suited to you."

Neville shrugged and handed the strange man his wand. "I'm going to clear the wand and then the potion will let it react as if it was the first time you touched it."

He cast a spell and a yellow light joined the ends of the wands together, odd half-visible objects slowly rose from Neville's wand till the light finally sputtered out. He then dipped the wand in a deep vial he brought in from the back; with a quick wave of his own wand it was dry and he handed it to Neville. There was a loud bang and a small rickety chair in the corner fell to pieces.

"No, I don't think so. I'm sorry Lord Longbottom but I believe we will need to find you a different wand, but be sure to put your parents' wands in a place of honor."

With that a measuring tape began to fly around and measure odd sections of Neville.

"Is there anything I can do for you Lord Potter? Wand polish? Or a cleaning kit?"

"No Mr. Ollivander, I'm afraid that I ran afoul of the elder Malfoy, and he purposely snapped my wand."

"Oh, dear. That is such a tragic loss. May I ask what happened?"

"Not just now, I must ask you not to even speak of us being here today." After that request the shop owner began waving his wand, the curtains closed.

"Of course Lord Potter."

"We also ask that you do not speak of our Lordships till next week, you will know when."

"Of course M'lord," Ollivander said as he waved the tape away from Neville and began pulling down boxes containing new wands.

"Thank You, Mr. Ollivander, and unless protocol demands it it's still just Harry."

"And Neville," added Neville.

Over an hour later, the pair stepped out of the store with their new wands. Harry's was of African Rosewood with a shadow tiger heartstring core, it felt a little better than the old one but was still firmly behind his custom one. Neville's new wand was Cherrywood with unicorn hair for the core. He was pleased with the wand, when he tried a levitation spell on a small pebble the same force he would have used before to lift it shot it out of sight.

They then walked quickly to Gringotts and as they entered Augusta stood from her seat in the reception area and moved towards them.

"I hear you have had a dust up with Malfoy, is it that bad?"

"Yes Ma'am, bad enough that I am going public with my Lordship, and being the heir of House Black," said Harry.

"Presumed heir, Harry, Sirius could still have children."

"No Ma'am, he had a full medical done after his release," he said quietly. "He'll never have children."

"Oh, dear! I'm sorry Harry."

"He told me he was ok with it, other than any strain it may place on me, as he lost the only woman he cared for."

"Sirius? He was in love? The man has always been a flirt, I never saw him serious about any one."

"He seemed very serious about it, and now he intends to be there to support those he thinks of as family. Starting with finding Remus Lupin."

"I haven't heard that name in a long time, a very nice young man as I recall. Anyway, for a solicitor I'd recommend Roberts and Roberts, David would love to tear into Lucius, and he is the best I know."

"Can you request an immediate meeting here? I want to keep my name out of it as a surprise for dear Lucy."

Augusta stifled a laugh. "You have had a long talk with Sirius, only he and his friends called him that, it really got under his skin."

"Hmm, need to remember that then, and ask Madam Malkin to come over I think Neville and I need a wardrobe upgrade for the session."

"Do you think you can get a meeting room here?" Augusta asked. "Goblins can be very hard to work with. Maybe I should ask for you?"

"If you think that is necessary, but I've never had much of an issue." He turned quickly and walked to the Head Teller station.

"Good afternoon Master Teller, may your gold be pure and your enemy's blood flow on your blade," he said with a flourish and a light bow.

"What do you want wizard?"

"May I and my allies use a conference room to prepare a case for a special session of the Wizengamot? Your kingdom may expect appropriate compensation, say five Galleons an hour for a large room?"

He sneered, "Thirty."

"Ten."

The bartering continued till a price of thirteen was agreed on, including snacks and drinks with alcohol being available but extra.

"This way," said the goblin. Augusta just looked stunned.

"Harry, how… You haggled with a goblin… but..."

"What? Haggling is part of any good business deal."

* * *

><p>The day of the special session soon arrived and the young Lords made their way to the Ministry of Magic. They stepped with purpose out of the floo in the atrium; they couldn't help but smile at each other. It had taken almost a half a day to keep from looking foolish when exiting. Striding across the hall they approached the entrance to the Wizengamot chambers, getting odd looks as they passed.<p>

Harry was dressed in what almost appeared to be a three piece Armani suit, in a dark grey with the jacket replaced with an open robe. Complete with a red 'Power' tie. Neville mirrored his friend in blue.

When they entered, the chambers were almost full. They walked past many members, who paid them no attention as they approached their seats, Neville pointed out Harry's seat and he moved away.

In the middle of the room Lucius paced with a smile forcing its way onto his face. The bang of the gavel brought them to order.

Lucius began to speak, "Members of the Wizengamot, thank you for attending today. We must talk about the changes in our most beloved school of Hogwarts, the changes that have been happening there and the depths that the children have fallen to, even our own hero the boy-who-lived.

"My son was viciously beaten like a common muggle in the middle of the Great Hall, in front of the very staff that is in 'control' of that school, by the very hero of the wizarding world Harry Potter. If he can attack the scion of the Ancient and Noble House Malfoy and the heir of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House Black in front of the staff what else is going on there?

"Has.."

"Enough of your lies and disparaging remarks Mr. Malfoy!" yelled Harry.

"Potter! You have no pla…"

"I have every right, **I** am **Lord** of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House **Potter**!** AND** the **Heir** of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House **Black**!" he yelled, showing his house rings. "Produce your son, and show proof of your claim to the House of Black! You can not because I hold the ring!"

"You can't hold the rings, we were not notified of any changes to the status of House Potter, and since Sirius can't have children we can assume you are not a bastard of his, therefore you are not a Black!"

Harry's eyes narrowed at that, "I am a Black by blood, my grandmother was Dorea Black, and as my Godfather Sirius could pass the title to me which he did, to keep, and I quote '_House Black from passing to families not deemed worthy by the current Lord Black.'_ As for the change to the Potter status you have no right to that information as you are not one of the **MOST ANCIENT AND MOST NOBLE** families. As I am the Lord of House Potter and Heir to House Black I order you as the accused to produce any proof that I attacked the Scion Malfoy without provocation."

"My son and his friends are not present at this time, and I don't think that..."

"What about the DMLE reports did you bring those?"

"-"

"Did you bring anything? You had days to prepare! Or did you expect to walk in and just pontificate to a captive audience? I do not know if any other member of this august body received any notice about the contents of this meeting but I did not. Minister did you?"

He looked like a stunned rabbit but nodded his head. "It was on my calendar, and my assistant had the paperwork this morning."

"I see, how about you Lord Longbottom?"

"No Lord Potter-Black." A large group of heads snapped to Neville.

"You Miss. Undersecretary?"

"I helped him file for it yes," said a woman in a bright pink cardigan, she looked oddly like a toad.

"And did you send out the notifications?"

"I did."

"Why did they not include why this meeting was to be called?"

"It was not necessary, as it was filed for in the name of House Black."

"He has no claim to the house. Sirius? Did you sign for this meeting as the head of our House?"

Standing Sirius replied, "I did not Harry."

"So Miss. Undersecretary, sorry I don't know your name and can't read it from here, you passed it without the Head of House seal or failing that the heir's.

"Umbridge, Dolores Umbridge; I have no reason to doubt Mr. Malfoy. He is an upstanding member of the community, a friend of the Minister, and the head of House Malfoy."

"I see, so the rules of process do not apply if you meet those criteria?"

"At the very least notification was owed to the Most Ancient and Most Noble Houses. Madam Bones? Did you receive a notification on the contents of this session?"

"No, and no request was made for the DMLE reports, by Mr. Malfoy."

"By the way thank you for canceling your commencement speech at the Auror Academy, I know it is an event you look forward to each year. Lord Abbott?"

"No."

"I thank you for returning from your business trip to attend this session. Lord Greengrass?"

"No."

"Lord McDonald?"

"Lucius spoke with me about it, but no I received nothing official."

"When did he speak with you about it?"

"Saturday, I ran into him and we spoke for a few moments."

"Lord MacDougal?" Gasps were echoed around the room.

"No, Lord Potter-Black."

"Well that's interesting, exactly NONE of the Most Ancient and Most Noble houses heard a thing, and as no national laws are to be voted on in a Special Session, what were you doing? Trying to bring up the changes at Hogwarts? If this is the forum that you chose to air your personal grievances against me please get on with it, as we are already gathered and I for one would not like to count the day as wasted."

"You attacked my son like he was a common Muggle! It shows that you are just as violent as them, and worth just as much," Lucius yelled seething with rage.

"Really? If that is the case I ask the entirety of the Wizengamot to sit for my trial. My proxy will be Madam Bones." He stood and started walking toward the center area. "Guard, please allow my solicitor and witnesses to enter."

A large group of people entered, including the Headmistress, Madam Pomfrey, Auror Captain Cross, and Daphne Greengrass. Malfoy paled.

A man with a leather valise was leading them. "If it pleases the Wizengamot, I will take over at this point. David Roberts, Solicitor for Lord Potter-Black in this issue. Mr. Malfoy, are your witnesses present?" Malfoy just looked at him numbly. "Let it not ever be said that I am not fair. Headmistress? Was someone at Hogwarts able to find the witnesses listed as Mr. Malfoy's on the DMLE report?"

"Yes, Mr. Roberts. They are assembled and ready to be brought before the Wizengamot, once their parents have given consent for them to leave the school."

"Thank you Headmistress, their names?"

"Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle."

"Four witnesses? Can someone please send for permission from their parents? Mr. Malfoy I'm sure you will give your consent. Correct?" He received a slow nod.

"An entire assembly of the Wizengamot is convened so, with your permission Minister, what were the injuries Madam Pomfrey?"

"One broken upper humerus, a shattered scapula, damage to the muscles as well as soft tissue damage." Grumbles came from those gathered.

"My, Lord Potter-Black did a lot of damage."

"That was the damage _to_ Lord Potter-Black, from a piercing hex to the back." Silence fell on the room.

"And to the others? Mr. Malfoy?"

"No treatment was needed by two others and Mr. Malfoy needed a reducing salve for a small bump on the head. I didn't think it was necessary but young Malfoy insisted I do something for it."

"I wish to now introduce the official report from the DMLE along with the list of witnesses to the Wizengamot."

As copies were given out the Minister of Magic said, "We will be in recess until Mr. Malfoy's witnesses arrive. Please look over these documents, and do not discuss them or leave the hall. As this is now a trial please see a guard if you need to be escorted to a restroom."

Twenty minutes later Draco Malfoy entered the room, followed by his group. Another man scurried in, spoke with the Minister and exited the room. "Draco Malfoy? Pansy Parkinson? Vincent Crabbe? and Gregory Goyle? Do you understand that you are to give the truth in all questions asked here, and if you are found to lie in this matter you will be penalized in a way according to the laws of the Wizengamot? They will be most harsh as they deal directly with the Lord of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter and the heir of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Black?"

"He hasn't got a Lordship! I am the heir of House Black! It's mine!" Draco turned and moved toward Harry.

"Mr. Malfoy, control your son!" said the Minister.

"Draco!" Lucius said grabbing his shoulder, and Draco slowed and looked at the glittering rings on Harry's hand.

"Do you understand the instructions I gave to you Mr. Malfoy?"

He looked nervously at his father, who scowled at him as if trying to tell him something. "Yes…" The others answered the same.

"Very well. Please proceed Mr. Roberts."

"Scion Malfoy, please tell us, in your own words, exactly what happened on Friday morning?"

"Potter approached the Slytherin table after the announcements, and began to talk to Greeengrass," he spat out with disdain. "I took it on myself to make sure he was not approaching someone in my house without good reason, so I moved myself and my friends in such a way as to support my housemate."

"And what business was it of yours, what the young people in question were speaking about?"

"What business does the Gryffindor Golden Boy have with any Slytherin? Or for that matter any Griff? None! He was up to something, and I wanted to know what! After the train I…"

"And what happened on the train? Evidently it affected your judgment in some way so please enlighten us?"

Draco looked nervously at his father. "I-I wanted to meet Harry Potter and he pushed me up against the wall of the train and gave me a warning…"

"So he threatened you? After just meeting you? Please tell us exactly what he said."

"He warned me not to insult those foreign slags the Patils, why was it even any of his business? Foreign students don't belong in our school anyway."

Grumbles came from the hall.

"And that was it? He wanted you to be polite?"

"He is a menace; he hit me like some form of Muggle!"

"Ok, let's get back to that. What happened after Lord Potter-Black approached the other Slytherin students?

"When I addressed him he turned and made as if to threaten me, and I stepped back and defended myself. The next thing I know, I'm on the floor and he has hit me in the head with a serving plate."

"So let me see if I have this straight? You approached him, and got his attention. He turned to face you," he said demonstrating. "Then he did something physically threatening. Was he speaking to you or did he just attack?"

"I-I he may have said something, but he was definitely threatening me."

"So you defended yourself? What spell did you use?"

"I think it was a piercing hex."

"I see. So you fired with him standing in front of you? I'm impressed that you could fire a hex after he had hit you."

"I-I was lucky."

"Mr. Malfoy I'm done with this witness."

"I have no questions for my son."

The questions went on, with Pansy saying she hadn't really seen anything as Crabbe had stepped on her foot, and she was not sure what order things happened in. Crabbe had his hands full with Pansy trying to apologise till he heard spell fire and as he turned he saw Malfoy fall as Potter appeared and hit Goyle.

As for Goyle he told them he never felt threatened, and was looking at someone else, trying to get their attention so he could ask a question when they were finished, but they all backed Malfoy up as much as possible.

With the questioning of Malfoy's witnesses complete, they moved on to the defense witnesses.

"Auror Captain Cross, you saw the incident?"

"Yes, I cold not hear what was said but I saw Mr. Malfoy approach Lord Potter-Black. When Mr. Malfoy gained his attention he turned, stepped toward him and extended his hand as if to shake hands with Mr. Malfoy. Mr. Malfoy then stepped back, bumping into Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle, causing Mr. Crabbe to bump into Ms. Parkinson. A few more words were exchanged and Lord Potter-Black turned away to face Ms. Greengrass. Mr. Malfoy then drew his wand and fired into Lord Potter-Black's back. I was impressed with Lord Potter-Black, something must have drawn his attention because he almost dodged the attack. He was thrown across the table onto the floor where another hex was fired at him. It missed and hit the floor. After rolling under the table and out of the side close to Malfoy he knocked him off his feet and with one punch and an elbow he subdued Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle, who were moving to grab him, long enough for the professors to arrive. He then hit Mr. Malfoy with a serving plate, as he was standing again and trying to aim his wand again. As we got close enough to help he apologized to Ms. Greengrass and her friends for the use of violence and not completing their conversation, addressed the Headmistress briefly and collapsed into shock."

The others that were called told versions of the same story with Daphne and her friends being more complete; then Harry told his own. When the story of the Hospital wing was told by Madam Pomfrey, yells rained down upon Malfoy for attacking an injured student in a hospital bed followed by silence after Harry's broken wand was placed on the table for all to see.

The vote on the floor of the Wizengamot was in favor of Lord Potter-Black, he was exonerated and the record of the event filed describing Draco as the aggressor. Dolores Umbridge was reprimanded and suspended for six months for misuse of authority and misfiling of paperwork.

As for the Malfoys, sanctions were imposed; their seat in the Wizengamot would be held in trust for three years, suspending all rights of House Malfoy for that time, along with a fine of 100,000 galleons payable to the Wizengamot for misrepresentation of family status, and misrepresentation of facts to the assembly. Draco was expelled, and his parents were assessed damages payable to Lord Potter-Black of 750,000 galleons, and a reminder that this was a case that would have been best handled by the DMLE and the regular court system.


	26. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

The following Saturday three lords strode into Gringotts, the two younger flanking the elder, all with determined looks on their faces. They walked directly to a waiting goblin who gestured into the doorway behind the Head Teller. They walked the halls without a word. Entering a conference room they sat on the right side of the table facing three goblins with stacks of paperwork before them.

"Sharktooth, it has been a long time. May I introduce my Godson and Heir Lord Harry Potter-Black, and his friend Lord Longbottom?"

"Yes, are you all prepared? It will be a long day. The first order of business is the state of your Manors."

As Sharktooth had predicted it was a long day. They started at the top of each family's list of holdings and worked their way down. The Blacks held two ancestral homes, one in the city and the other in the country. Number 12 Grimmauld Place had stood empty for some time, it had been the home that was used when the family needed to stay in the city of London and was in a part of town that was once again becoming a popular neighborhood. Sirius remembered the house and it held some bad memories though not as bad as Onyx Manor. Being a secondary home he decided to liquidate it. He arranged with the goblins to go through the house and remove anything that had to do with the Wizarding world and to go through everything in both homes and remove anything dangerous. Finally he arranged for a time to look for a permanent residence of his own, as he did not wish to live in Onyx Manor.

Next Sirius went over the books of House Black and the standing contracts; hours were spent preparing to separate the finances from people and businesses that he did not feel reflected what Harry and he wanted House of Black to represent, and investing it elsewhere. The personal contracts angered him the most. Somehow dear old Walburga had convinced his father to arrange marriages for his cousins (at one time he had counted them as sisters as they were raised by his parents), to the Malfoys, the Carrows, and the LeStranges. The contract to the Carrows was never able to be enforced as Andromeda had eloped before it was signed but a copy had been kept by the goblins even though the blood quill had failed to seal the contract because of the prior marriage. In those contracts, each family was to receive a Manor, a yearly stipend, and a large dowry. He decided that that would not stand, and after searching each of the contracts they found what they were looking for.

The other two Lords' holdings, while complicated, did not have as many issues that needed to be addressed. Harry arranged for his Ancestral Home to be rebuilt - it was destroyed in the attack that killed his grandparents - and updated with input from his father, uncle, and grandfather. He also arranged for a good amount of his holdings be invested in the non-magical world.

Neville had been half listening to Harry as he worked, and after putting some questions to both the goblins and Harry, also invested a substantial amount in the non-magical world.

* * *

><p>Monday morning arrived at Malfoy Manor, and Narcissa was sitting at her dressing table as a house elf brushed her long hair. She was lost in her mind as she looked at the reflection of the lone lock of hair that remained its original midnight black color; she always kept it glamoured to match the rest of her hair as Lucius despised it. Not that anything could be done about it, he had tried everything, including cutting it off; it grew back overnight. Since he was gone today, trying to find a way to regain what he had lost to the 'Potter Brat' and arrange for Draco to move to a different school, she had left it alone.<p>

"Is miss feeling better this morning?"

"Yes, Rea, thank you. With the corset on, it helps with my ribs, and as long as I don't move too quickly I'm fine."

The small elf frowned and tugged at her dress, clearly she was uncomfortable with the situation.

"Stop that, don't give him a reason punish you. Not like he does poor Dobby, although I'm glad he is so protective of you."

"Dobby is a good son."

"Yes he is."

The sound of a chime rang through the manor. Sighing she stood and began to walk to the entry way, she had time, the wards of the home were extensive and whoever it was had not reached the gates yet, and it would take a few minutes for them to get there where the second layer of wards would refuse them entry unless allowed to enter.

Pain tugged at her ribs at each step as she descended the stairs; she arrived at the viewing mirror, slower than she thought, but in the end she pulled back her shoulders, waved her wand to place her glamour and entered the view of the mirror.

"Yes?"

"Mrs. Narcissa Malfoy nee Black?" asked the goblin at the door. "I am Bloodclaw of the Gringotts bank. You have business to be attended to as a member of House Black and I have been tasked to bring you to the bank with the utmost speed."

"Will my husband be there?"

"Someone has been dispatched to collect him and your son as well."

"Very well I will be there in a moment." She had Rea dress her quickly and help her to the front gate without being seen. As she prepared to step away from the elf she steeled herself for the pain but knew that keeping her husband waiting was unwise. Soon with a feeling of being hooked behind the navel, she was standing in front of the goblin run bank.

Inside the senior Malfoy was fuming. 'How dare these creatures summon him! I have more important things to do today. I need to deal with the fallout from what that Potter brat caused.' His ire rose more as his wife entered and walked stiffly to join him and his son who was fidgeting next to him.

"Why are you here?" he asked with an accusing glare.

"Bloodclaw came to the house and informed me that we were summoned to the bank, and that you were on the way. I thought it a bad idea to keep you waiting."

He could not fault that logic but, "Well you have." An evil smirk, she knew that look but she locked those feelings away.

"This way," directed Bloodclaw.

When they entered the conference room Bloodclaw directed them to seats. "Sharktooth will be here in a moment."

A short time passed in silence, with only glances being passed by the family. The door opened quickly and Sharktooth entered with a pair of guards in a style of dress Malfoy had never seen before; they were in some form of loose fitting overalls with large pockets on the legs and some form of heavy vest all in black with a knife point up on the left shoulder, and a sword on the left hip. On the right hip was some form of pouch with a hard looking object sticking out, and on their heads were helmets of some unknown design. Metal greaves were the only things other than the swords that he recognized.

"Mr. Malfoy, Mrs. Malfoy, and the scion Malfoy, excellent. Now the first order of business is this court order from the Ministry to collect the fines levied by the Wizengamot. How do you wish to proceed with your payment?"

"Take it from my vault," the elder Malfoy growled.

"Very well that will be a total of 850,000 galleons, 100,000 will be transferred to the Ministry vault, 250,000 will be donated in the name of James and Lily Potter to St. Mungo's, and 500,000 will be placed in a working trust, in the names of James and Lily Potter to help non-magical families pay for their children's education."

Malfoy's face reddened in anger, as did his son's. He desperately wanted to say something but held his tongue as it could cost him his head.

"Very good, now on to the other business. Narcissa Malfoy nee Black?" She nodded. "You are a member in good standing with House Black, correct?" Again she nodded. "Very well, with the paperwork of Malfoy vs. Potter filed by the Ministry the union of Narcissa Black and Lucius Malfoy is annulled."

"**What!**" yelled Lucius and Draco, and they began to stand. The guards drew their weapons.

"Be seated Mr. Malfoy, Scion Malfoy. This part of the business no longer concerns you! Ms. Black you are now free to leave this room. If you do you will remain a Black and may join your family who await your arrival. If you remain you will need to sign this parchment and abdicate the name Black and all the rights that go with it. Do you wish to leave?"

"What of Draco?"

"He stays with me you traitorous bitch!"

"You will be silent and remain seated; this is your last warning! He is still the scion of House Malfoy, but no longer has any ties to the Black name. Although, if he wishes to give up his station in the house Malfoy, the lord Black has offered to allow you to adopt him if he will vow to be loyal to the House Black in all things. He will not be in line for succession, but he will have an education, someplace approved by Lord Black, and he will be assisted in obtaining suitable employment or starting a business of his own. What say you Scion Malfoy?

He looked at his father then his mother; his father had power and money, but could be harsh and cruel. His mother he truly loved, but he would be forever under that damn Potter, and someday he would be the Head of his house. Could he live like that, to give up everything for his mother?

Narcissa stood. "It is your choice my son, I will welcome you with open arms if you choose to come but I cannot stay." She moved close and stifled a cry as she leaned over and kissed the young man on the cheek. "I will always love you my son, but I cannot watch what he will want you to become, she whispered in his ear. With that she signed the presented piece of parchment and walked out the door with her head held high, never glancing at Lucius.

Draco looked at his father, the rage was plain on his face, and he wondered if that rage would be aimed at him now that his mother had gone? Would the man blame him for the loss of the money to Potter? Slowly he stood and walked to the table where, as he finished signing a flash of light pronounced that he was no longer a Malfoy. He looked at his father whose eyes said it all, if he saw him again his life expectancy would be very short. He hurried out the door.

"Now Mr. Malfoy we need to discuss one more subject, the return of all assets transferred to the Malfoys pursuant to the contract that has been voided, and any penalties involved. Malfoy's scream could be heard for quite a distance; Sirius smiled as he helped his cousin toward a floo to St. Mungo's.

The LeStranges were handled differently as Bellatrix had tried to kill Sirius herself in a battle when he was an Auror. She was disowned and the contract's assets recovered as far as possible, leaving the incarcerated LeStranges with nothing as the contents of the vault and home were determined to be insufficient. Everything was moved to a new vault to be gone through at a later date.


	27. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

Sooner than Harry felt was possible he and his friends were on the train home for the summer. They were all settling in for the ride when Harry asked a question they all had at one time or another.

"Does anyone know why we ride the train from London when we could floo or use a portkey?"

Looks of confusion graced their faces, and Harry sighed. "Guess not, anyone got plans for the summer?"

Hermione grimaced and said, "I'm spending as much time as I can with my parents, they have even scheduled an entire month off to spend with me and take a family trip but won't tell me where. They said, and I quote, 'We don't want you researching every little thing, because we want to explore with you.' I think they are doing this mainly because they know it will aggravate me, and I still have a month till we leave. Dad has even gone so far as to have the tickets delivered to the office the day before so I won't see them till we are on our way."

They all laughed at that, including Hermione to some extent. Harry thought it was good that she was learning to not take things so seriously.

Neville went next, "Grams and I are overseeing some additions to the Manor, including a new garden and greenhouse. It's going to take most of the summer to put in, so I'll be there most of the time."

They turned to the Patil twins. "Nothing quite as interesting I assure you," Padma said; without a pause Parvati continued, "We will be taught how to be proper wives."

"And what does that mean?" asked Hermione with trepidation.

"Oh, how to be a proper young wife," started Parvati. Padma continued, "How to walk, when to speak, running a home, etc…"

"So it's a version of etiquette and finishing school?" asked Susan.

"Something like that, we will be prepared to take our place in our husband's home," Padma said.

"Your parents are already thinking about marriage?" asked Hannah. "Wow, I know that I'll start year after next at Madam Marta's, I think Susan will too." Susan nodded her head. "It seems you will be starting a lot earlier. When will you be presented? We will be at the Ministry ball the summer of our fifth year."

"Presented?" asked Hermione.

"It's the traditional way to announce that a girl has come of age to date, or to become betrothed. If there was a marriage contract it would be announced publicly at that time," supplied Neville.

Harry laughed, "I had one of those." The girls' heads snapped around, and Neville's eyes widened. "Seriously, I did! It was in the paperwork at Gringotts, but when I took the Lordship ring it was voided because it was not done by the Head of House."

"Can I ask to whom Harry?" came from Hannah.

"Weasley, I forget her first name, they must have a sister." He waved it off with a gesture.

"Wow, so your magical guardian made a contract for you? That's almost unheard of, I mean it's still legal but it has fallen out of practice," said Susan.

"It's still legal? That's ridiculous! No person should be forced to marry against their will!" growled Hermione.

"It has fallen out of practice Hermione, Gran taught me about them but said even when she was young it was only done occasionally," said Neville.

"Anyway," interrupted Hannah, "when will you be presented? Will it be at a big event, or because you live here now will you be coming to the ball here?"

The twins looked nervously at each other, then at their friends. "Things are different for us," started Parvati and Padma continued quietly, "our father will announce our coming of age on our fifteenth birthday, after that he will be receiving offers for our hand. The good thing is we will probably be together."

The silence was almost crushing as it settled over the cabin and Parvati continued in a clinical and quiet voice. "When our father chooses our husband, we will be told and will be expected to take our place as wives soon after we have completed our seventh year."

Hermione was the first to be able to respond. "That's not right, you should be able to marry… what are both of you going to be in some form of harem? That's what it sounds like when you say you will probably be together!" Her voice becoming progressively louder, she went on. "T-that's insane! How can anyone do that to their child?" Harry watched as the twins flinched away, and tears ran down their faces.

"Hermione, please calm down," said Harry. "You need to stop, you're upsetting them."

"You think we want this!" Padma was suddenly standing, her voice trembling with rage and pain. "We are gong to be given to someone for gold or other reasons! And because we are twins we will be worth more! It makes us sick! He'll probably be much older than us and have other wives as well! How would you like to grow up knowing that you have no chance to fulfill dreams of your own? We'll be lucky to have access to a library!" With that they both dissolved into tears.

The group settled into a quiet if uneasy silence, which Hannah finally broke. "Well Harry as Susan and I don't have any plans this summer, what are you going to do?"

"I've got to go visit someone," he said in a tone none of them had heard from him before, quiet and somewhat thoughtful as he looked out the window.

"Harry, you ok?" asked Neville.

"No."

Harry stepped out onto the non-magical side of the station and almost directly into Mr. Granger, who was still hugging his daughter, just clipping him with his cart.

"Sorry, Mr. Granger."

"No problem, Lord Potter-Black."

"Please sir, it's just Harry. The titles mean little among friends," he said with a large smile.

"Harry, I don't see your dad," said Hermione looking around.

"He's probably still at work. It's just easier if I take a taxi home."

"Nonsense," said Mrs. Granger, "We can give you a ride if you need."

"Thank you for the offer but I don't want you to go out of the way, and I'm fine this way."

"Well if you're sure, at least let us help you get loaded into a taxi," said Mr. Granger.

"Thank you, sir."

"Harry where is Hedwig?" asked Hermione.

"I sent her on ahead, no reason for her to be cooped up in a cage all the way from school."

"I didn't know you could do that, nothing I've read said anything about a post owl being able to understand a command like that."

"Well, she's very smart."

Outside Harry looked up and down the road and waved at a taxi, which pulled up from the corner and stopped. Soon his trunk was loaded, he had said his goodbyes and they were on their way.

"So how's the family Grimaxe?"

The driver laughed. "You know you're supposed to give the countersign. Someday you'll tell me how you do that."

"You know I hate that countersign. Was there anything in my stuff?"

"The car is warded if there is, we'll check it all and get it back to you. Lift the panel below your feet; fresh clothes are in there. Push what you are wearing into the boot through the hole behind the fold down arm rest. We'll check you as soon as we arrive, don't forget your wand will need to be checked."

Harry pulled on the plain grey sweat suit and did as he was told, and the next thing he knew they had pulled to a stop in a nearby parking garage where he was joined by Vaultcrusher the head of the cursebreakers, who had stepped from a white panel van.

"Hail young Potter-Black, it is good to see you again," he said grasping his arm.

"Hail, Master Breaker, it is good to see you. I am still looking forward to learning your art."

"Ha, we will see. How are your grades?"

Harry grumbled, "I think I'm number 2 in class ranking, Hermione Granger is probably number 1. She is amazing when it comes to book work and research."

"Maybe I'll give her the chance to study with me instead," Vaultbreaker teased.

"Hey, not nice. Our entire group is doing great, and we are working to get our non-magical education as well."

"I know your father and uncle are proud of their little warrior. Now let's see if anyone has taken an interest in you."

A couple of minutes later Harry was given the all clear and began to step out of the taxi. "Ragnarok wants you to come by before you head out, so we will be at the bank late, and I'll have your stuff by then."

"Dad and I will be by as soon as we can. See you soon."

Harry walked a few feet away and slid into the passenger seat of James's car. "Hi Dad."

"Hi yourself, you ready for this?"

"I can sleep on the plane, is everything arranged?"

"You'll fly into New York, and Felix will meet you. He'll give you the information on the contact in Phoenix, and they will have your gear. When you're back make a call to the normal number and someone will collect your gear at the drop point, then you can head back home. I just hope you have some summer left, Terry and I both would like to spend some time with you."

"I hope so too. Is the cover good?"

"Yeah, family friend is ill you've gone to help the family. Etc... Ragnarok will help take care of any owls, and we are covering the phones."

"Alright, let's get this over with."

The hours dragged on as the debriefing was done, then he was introduced to the new M that would take over at the end of the summer. She seemed to be a very serious woman with short silver/grey hair and intelligent dark blue eyes. He could see from the way she acted that she was uncomfortable with his role but like the rest could see no alternative.

* * *

><p>It was very late and dark when James and Harry turned their car into a blind alley where, pulling to the back James drove through the hidden door. Immediately the car was surrounded by goblins in their new tactical gear with weapons drawn. Turning off the car the two stepped out with their arms raised. After their identities were confirmed they were led to Ragnarok's office.<p>

"May your enemies' gold fill your coffers, and their bodies be a warning to their allies," said Harry entering.

"You as well young Harry, especially vengeful tonight?" he asked grasping their arms.

"Tired, it's been a long day."

"Well I'm going to add a little more; first someone had a tracking charm on a coin that was in your belongings. It had been slipped into a robe pocket. Unlike any we found before this one was just the basic spell that parents use to keep track of children and is easily available."

Harry swore under his breath. "Someone got close enough to do that and I didn't notice?" He'd need to be more aware.

"Next I have a package for you to take to Gorgonia. Do not open it as it is highly warded, we request he look over the package and you can deliver any information he has from the study." Harry nodded.

"You also need to be aware that the actual audit of Hogwarts is incomplete." Harry and James were stunned. "There was an area that we were not able to gain entry to, tied directly to both the foundation of the castle, the main ward stones, and the control stone. The Headmistress knows of this and is working with us to bypass the system and we have and will station a group of guards and shadow warriors in the castle until such time as we have gained access, at our expense as per the contract. I will have a way for you to contact them where they have hidden themselves before you go back to school; the Headmistress and your Charms Professor Flitwick can contact them as well."

"Finally, this was recovered within the school," he said, pulling out a well-made wooden box; "and there is a clause in the contract that any goblin made item is to be returned to its lawful owner. As you know we do not view ownership of our creations as you do, they are to be returned to the artisan upon the end of the contracted time. But this is different; this is one of only a handful given in perpetuity. This was given by the Goblin King Grimslayer himself to a man that stood with him in a time of great peril and who was seen as Goblin kin as well. I return to you, the last remaining heir, the sword that bears his name, the 'Sword of Gryffindor'." He opened the box to show the expertly crafted goblin blade. "Know this, the sword is different from the rings you wear, but the effects are much the same. If you take up this blade and its magic accepts you, you will be Lord Gryffindor the rightful wielder."

Without a thought Harry reached for the blade, the handle settled in his hand as if made for it. Magic flared then settled, as he hefted the blade, backed to an empty area of the office and began to run through his sword exercises. They were a little sloppy but the sword moved with his hand with such a fluid grace that he knew he would love practicing with it. Soon he reached the final move of his exercises and stopped his movements, he thought it was time for the sword and its sheath to be returned and it disappeared from his hand as did the sheath from the chair he had placed it in. Looking quickly around he saw Ragnarok point at the box, where the sword lay safe.

"It is part of the enchantments, reach out and mentally call for your blade."

As he did it reappeared in his hand. "I love magic!"

James added, "Now if only you could do that with a gun as well."

Ragnarok laughed, "That sword is one of a kind, and the enchantments are like none other I have ever seen. A mix of human and goblin magic, along with unknown metals, it was quite fascinating to research. We will place it in your vault and you will be able to call it when needed." Harry nodded his head as he mentally pushed the sword to return, while running through an idea in his head to use the come and go room as a place to train.

"I wish you good fortune for your summer, and hope it is as productive as you wish."


	28. Chapter 29

**CHAPTER 29**

When Harry stepped out of the airport he remembered why he had said that if he was to visit he'd only do it in the winter. He could feel the heat of the concrete through his shoes as he shielded his eyes and looked around for a particular vehicle. Spotting it he walked over and slung his bag into the back of the old Chevy pick-up, and climbed inside.

"Heat always this bad here?" he asked the man in the driver's seat.

"But at night you need a way to stay warm," he replied.

"As long as the company is good a campfire is perfect."

"As long as you don't get burned. Welcome to Phoenix Mr. Bond."

"Mr. Bond is my father, I'm Harry. It's nice to meet you Simon, Felix has good things to say about you."

"I bet, I'll be your contact here," said the man as he pulled into traffic. He looked like he spent a lot of time in the outdoors, his tan was one that showed he wasn't afraid of hard work, as did the sweat stained straw cowboy hat hung in the window behind him. "I've got the gear you asked for; we'll be there in a couple of hours." Harry nodded.

"Good, I'll check everything tonight and start tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Dawn had not even begun to lighten the horizon when Harry started saddling his horse and packing the two mules. He did it quietly and quickly, making sure everything went in its proper place. The thing he was most careful of was the water, the desert was a harsh and deadly place but without water it was pure suicide.<p>

He rode west out of the little town called Concho, at an easy pace. He rode that way for three days, slowly turning his way to the north-west. In the evening of the third day he set up a larger camp than normal, and set the horse and mules to a larger grazing area, he also began to fast, to begin the first cleansing rite. Three days passed and again he rode north-west. He rode another two days eating only what the land provided for him. On the next morning two men on horseback were awaiting him along his chosen path. Both rode tall in their saddles, with shoulder length black hair, denim pants and jackets. They rode on in silence.

As darkness descended they arrived at a cliff face dotted with openings that were accessible by ladders to different levels. Harry unloaded his horse and mules and placed all but a few items in the small earth building he was directed to. He was then led to a ladder and a place to sleep.

The next morning found him greeting the sun with a flash of silver in his hand as he practiced; his speed with the blade was slowly increasing as he concentrated on correcting the flaws in his form.

"The kit has found a claw, it seems," came a quiet but authority filled voice.

Harry slowed his motion and turned to face the voice. "Elder, I am sorry if I disturbed you."

"Nonsense, please finish and then we will talk."

"As you wish Elder." Harry returned to his motions and for the remainder of the time the old man watched. He adjusted the blanket he had across his shoulders, and wished he'd remembered the warm wool cap his great-niece had made. His glasses fogged over slightly with each breath, until he got the blanket to lie correctly.

Soon they sat watching the sun rise. "The reason for your return weighs heavily on your mind kit."

"It does, Elder Gorgonia. I moved along the warrior's path, I took the life of an enemy."

Gorgonia looked at him closely, "I can see the change in you when you speak of it, if he was going to do you harm then you cannot feel bad about defending your life."

"That's what everyone says, but it doesn't seem to help. Gorgonia, he was possessed. I'll never know if..."

"Do not second guess yourself. If you do not allow yourself that, you will falter when you need your skills the most."

Harry looked down at his shoes.

"I see, that has already happened. How bad were the injuries?"

"Not life threatening, but very painful."

"Good. Contemplate this in the purification rite today, seek the truth of it. We will speak again in three days time when you have finished. Till then bring me the package from your friend Ragnarok."

The days passed in a blur for Harry, a mixture of heat and fasting, pushing him to his limits.

The evening of the third day Harry was shown into the medicine cave. "Harry please come and kneel; breathe the vapors from the flames deeply." Gorgonia sprinkled a fine powder on the fire between them and Harry breathed deeply of the smoke. As he exhaled the smoke took a form of its own, showing first the battle with the troll then the one in the hallway, and finally the one with Malfoy. "Harry's eyes were closed and a look of peace showed on his face the entire time.

After the scenes had played out Gorgonia sat in thought. Reaching a decision he asked, "Harry? What truth did you find?"

Shaking himself Harry snapped his eyes open and looked at Gorgonia. "That I am not to blame for an enemy's actions; Quirrell called him Master so he must have given over his body to the possession and was in no way trying to prevent it."

"And if an enemy takes a hostage?"

"Try everything to rescue them, but know that it is not always possible."

"That is an unfortunate but true part of life. Your training will begin the day after tomorrow, go rest."

The next day Harry wandered the small village finally able to greet old friends. He tried to help as much as he could but he knew that the purification rite had made him weak. So he ate and got as much rest as possible.

"Harry I saw the creature that had attached itself to your teacher, in the smoke of the purification ritual. It may have been human at one time, but make no mistake young warrior, it is no longer," said Gorgonia. "Whatever atrocities it has done to allow it to survive in such a state have torn away anything that made it human. While I am not certain how it was done I have heard of stories of the manipulation of the spirit that have had that kind of effect."

"Long ago, to the south, lived a great pair of cultures. Both had mighty empires and built great monuments and cities. They both did something much like this, but it was not to prolong their own lives or be able to avoid their deaths, it was a form of punishment. They would split the spirit from the body with a ritual sacrifice of the criminal, and then sunder the spirit." Harry stared at him in disbelief. "The stories speak of it being the most horrible of punishments, only for the worst of crimes."

"As long as a piece of the soul was bound, the other could not move on and the punishment continued. I believe that this … person did something along that path."

"Elder, you think he did this on purpose? He wanted to live that way?"

"No, I think it was a protection from his death, as you heard with the object in the school he wanted to create a new body. He is probably looking to do this now and given time may find something."

"Now young warrior what do you know of our way of magic?"

"I am afraid not much, Elder. I know it is ritual based but they do not teach that at Hogwarts."

"They should. Focused magic, such as you are learning at your school, is something we did not develop but our history with rites is second to none. The basis of a rite is communication, the better the communication within the group doing the rite the better your results, and when the group encounters an obstacle during a rite the better chance of countering it."

"How often do things not go as planned?"

Chuckling Gorgonia answered, "Almost every time, unless it is a very simple task. Remember a rite is by its nature very flexible and never to be attempted alone, or with those you do not trust completely. As a simple rule at least one designated leader and two in support, the maximum is seven. Past that communication is too strained in the group."

"You make it sound like you speak all during the rite, I've never heard it... unless..."

"Yes, it is part of the mental bond that forms during the preparation. It also allows all of the individual's skills to be used to shape the rite and mold the combined power, almost as if you are a single being instead of a group. What you sacrifice is speed and mobility. It takes time and planning just to attempt a rite of any size, let alone something serious. Then again it was not that magic I was speaking of. Even though you are an able student it takes time, sometimes years, for the bond of trust to develop to make a rite possible. I was speaking of totem animals."

"You mean spirit guides? Not much."

"Please sit and be comfortable, the first step on this journey is the Vision Quest. You will remain here and relax, remember to breathe deeply. You will know what to do when the time comes." Gorgonia turned and dropped a bundle of things onto the fire that changed its color to odd blues and greens, left the room and placed a flap over the entrance.

'Guess there is nothing to do but…' his thoughts begin to wander. His father explaining why they traveled so much as he cried about leaving his friends in Japan, he was five in the memory. Sitting with his grandfather as he went over the books for the construction company and learning how to identify the special markings from the 'consulting' the firm did, he was ten. A sickening laugh and yelling voices, flashes of light, reds, greens, age unknown. Ernst Blofeld's SPECTRE agent on the train from Rome, his father killing the man in the restroom of their compartment. Screaming in pain as dark figures just out of view stand and watch. The group laughing as they walk from the library to dinner. Three girls trying to hide from a troll in a restroom. A confrontation with an idiot on a train. Images from his life ran faster and faster, but not in any order that he understood. Then blackness.

Harry sat up under a cherry blossom tree at what looked like the edge of Black Lake near Hogwarts while instead of mountains there were high bluffs running into grassy plains. 'Guess it makes sense, it is the closest thing I've had to a home, other than dad not being there, and I do know I'm going back.' He sat and looked out at the lake; he wished he could spend more days like this with his friends. For the moment he was glad it was quiet, he lay back and looked up through the swaying leaves above.

Slowly the area came to life, animals began to go about their business again, as if his appearance had disturbed them but now they felt he was not a threat. He was just drifting off when he felt something heavy drop across his arm and heavily on his chest; looking at the animal lying with its body partly on his, he felt no fear. He was mesmerized by the large eyes staring down at him, the irises were a golden color with dark brown circles to the outside and large vertical slit pupils. The breath was warm and the creature panted lightly.

"Well aren't you the bold one?" he laughed.


	29. Chapter 30

**CHAPTER 30**

Harry stepped away from the baggage carousel to see his father and Terry smiling at him. Spinning one bag so it rode on his shoulder he picked the other up and began his walk to his family.

Terry hugged him. "You get everything?"

He nodded. "Sorry about missing my birthday, I was close but couldn't finish in time."

"It's alright son," said James. "We have the house here till the twentieth; that gives us fifteen days till we go home. Although you will need to catch up on a few telephone calls. Strange thing though not a single owl."

Harry just looked confused, "Are you sure that seems odd? Oh wow, it's nice here!" he said stepping outside.

"It's weird, they're all in contact with Hermione and she's been calling almost nonstop. After the first week I went to plan B, so you have been helping at a summer camp for the underprivileged."

"Hmm... ok I'll call her when we get to the house, I hope it has a pool."

"It does," said Terry. "We'll be having visitors in a couple of days so get rested."

"Visitors? Who?"

"Just don't you worry about it," said Terry.

"Oh, come on that's not fair!" turning large puppy eyes at her.

"No you don't young man!" she said trying not to laugh. "Do not try that with me! You ran off to play lord knows where! You didn't have time to plan this little outing! You missed your birthday!"

He sank into the rear seat and pouted. "Fine don't tell me! Where are we staying anyway?"

"No place special," said James. "We think it will be nice though."

They talked almost the entire way, his father pointing to things as they drove. They pulled up the drive of a very nice home set off the road; it was one story and settled back into the pine trees. There seemed to be plenty of room as you could not even see a nearby house.

"Ok, it's nice. Just tell me there is a pool!"

James laughed, "Yes! There is a pool! Just call Hermione first! Grab your stuff."

Harry hopped out and picked up his cases and headed in.

"Not going to tell him?" asked James.

"Not yet," she said wrapping her arms around him as they walked in "How will he take it?"

"Better than me." She was still laughing as Harry stuck his head out.

"Which room is mine?"

Harry flopped into a chair by the desk as he thumbed through the messages to find Hermione's number. Dialing he hummed to himself, and adjusted the chair to be under the air-conditioner vent.

"Bless the man who created AC," he mumbled as the phone connected.

"Granger residence," came a male voice.

"Mr. Granger? Harry Bond."

"Well hello."

"I seem to have a pile of messages from someone."

"Really? Would not know that from anything around here." You could almost hear the grin. "My telephone bill last month was ridiculous, almost ten pages of the same number…"

A scream of, "DADDY!" could be heard over the line.

"What dear? Do you need something?"

He could hear her voice but not what she was saying.

"Tell your mum it's not an emergency at the office will you? It's just some bloke named Harry..."

A distant, "HARRY!" was the next he heard then some muffled thumps and a bang then the line went dead.

Harry looked at the phone, and hung up. Sighing he dialed again, it picked up on the first ring.

"Harry?" the voice on the other side asked.

"Nope, this is Harrison Ford I'm doing a poll. Do you think we need to make more Indiana Jones movies?"

"Not before a new Star Wars film _Mister Ford_. Where have you been Harry? We couldn't get hold of you, even by... um special post."

"Really? Weird. No, nothing wrong. I visited a family friend that was ill, then worked at a summer camp. Now I get to spend a few days with my dad and Terry. What about you? What was your big trip?"

"Australia! It was amazing; we even went to the Great Barrier Reef. I've got loads of pictures to show you. Dad tried to surf the last day we were there, broke his ankle doing it. Then made mum and I push him around in a wheelchair on the way home."

That made Harry laugh, the big bad SAS man pushed around by his two girls. "Hope you have a picture of that. I'd better run, I'll try to bring you something back."

"Where are you anyway? All your dad said was he was going to meet you."

"Umm... Someplace magical? I promise to bring you pictures. Tell the others I'm fine, and I'll talk to them soon. We'll be back the 21st, and getting stuff for school the morning of the 24th - see you then?"

"I'll ask mum and dad, do you want me to ask everyone?"

"Sure, it'll be good to see everyone again. See you soon Hermione."

"O-Ok, see you soon Harry."

True to their word, two days later they started preparing for new arrivals. Cleaning, laundry and cooking kept them all busy, till Harry heard the front door open and the scuffling of feet, a lot of feet.

"Hello, anyone home? We're here!" said a female voice.

"Janet? Is that you?" yelled Terry.

"Unless you're expecting another Janet, yeah!"

Harry washed his hands and began to follow the now group of voices in the front room. A small girl swung Terry's arm in a big arc with a huge grin on her face, while Terry held one of a pair of twins in the other arm. She held a conversation between him and the person holding the other twin, probably their mother he thought. He continued to walk over till Terry and the group noticed him.

"Harry, come on over I've got some people for you to meet," said Terry. "Harry this is Rachel," indicating the little girl, "and these two are Jason," bobbing the twin on her hip, "and James, and this is your sister Janet."

Harry started to put his hand out and... just... stopped.

Janet looked at him and smiled, "I think you broke him Mom."

It wasn't till after the kids were in bed that the entire story was told, about how James and Terry met (well not the whole story, the non-classified version) and how they had moved apart to today. The fact that they were magical was definitely a surprise. They talked into the night, a family learning about each other.

The next morning found Harry being tugged by one hand down the hall and into the kitchen by Rachel's small hand, while he tried to finish drying his hair with the other.

"Come on, Harry!" said the little girl with a grunt as she pulled. "You gotta eat so we can go!"

Harry looked up from under the towel; he was the last one to come in. "Ok-Ok! We're here already."

He sat and quickly grabbed some toast from a plate along with a couple of fried eggs. While the others cleaned up he ate quickly, only to be dragged out the door still holding his glass of orange juice, to begin a day with his new family in the Happiest Place on Earth


	30. Chapter 31

**CHAPTER 31**

Today had not been the best of days for the young raven haired man. First there was some form of mistake at the airline, that had his seat double booked on the way to Atlanta, it had taken almost all the time they had to get it straightened out and him on the plane, in the very back, alone. Next it was the beverage cart in the aisle that had somehow become stuck, forcing him, the last passenger still on the plane to climb over the seats if he was going to catch up to his father and Terry and make the connecting flight to London in time.

When he got to the train that would take him to the international terminal it promptly broke down in the tunnel half way; 45 minutes later he arrived in the terminal to another mess as all three of them had missed the flight.

Harry walked into the restroom feeling like he needed to scream, washed his face and hands and just stared at the reflection in the mirror.

"Man does someone just hate me today or something?" Harry asked the reflection.

"No, I does not hate the Great Harry Potter!" Spinning harry saw a small creature with bulging blue eyes and long leathery ears dressed in an old pillow case, a house elf.

"What are you doing here? What if someone sees you? You need to get out of here!"

"The Great Harry Potter no worry bout Dobby. Dobby not be seen." He bounced on the balls of his feet, and wrung his hands as he talked.

"Then what do you need Dobby?"

"The Great Harry Potter no go back to Hogwarts."

"What? Why wouldn't I go back?"

"Very bad things be going on at Hogwarts, Dobby knows!"

"What kind of bad things Dobby?"

He wrung his hands, and then started hitting his head against the corner of the sink, hard.

"Dobby stop." Harry grabbed the small creature's head. "It's ok, you can't tell me that's fine, but I am going back if for no other reason than my friends don't know."

"The Great Harry Potter's friends that haven't wrote all summer."

"You're the one that stopped the owls? Give me the letters Dobby!"

"You not go back?"

"I'm going back!"

"Then Dobby make sure you no go back!" Dobby ran for the door, Harry chasing after.

They rounded the corner to see James standing, carry-on in hand, talking with a pilot. Dobby looked over his shoulder, held up his hand, and snapped his fingers. That was almost ten hours ago.

Harry sat beside a desk in the police station in the airport, drinking what was left of a warm Coke and re-reading the things on the wall for the hundredth time when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, kid I thought you didn't let your old man get in these types of fixes." He was an older man with more grey than his original black hair, with deep laugh lines on his face and a sloppy grin.

"Finally, Felix what took you so long?"

"I could leave..."

"NO! Sorry, please get us out of here."

"Fine, you stay put and I'll be right back." He turned and went into the Captain's office. Twenty minutes later they were walking down the concourse, toward the international gates.

"Thanks for your help Felix," said James.

"What I want to know is what exactly happened? Why was it bad enough that I had to come in person? And finally why do I need to babysit you till your plane is gone?"

James rubbed his neck while trying to figure out where to start. "I was talking with a couple of pilots in the first class lounge when the strangest thing happened… You remember my old briefcase? The one I carried for work?"

"You mean the one that..." Felix made a little explosion gesture with his hands.

"Yeah that's the one. Anyway, I carry the new version now, and some how the seam split and…well let's just say they don't like foreigners with firearms in the boarding area." Felix began to chuckle. "Or ones with illegally transported gold Krugerrands…" it became a laugh… "especially if the teargas canister explodes at the same time,"… then a full blown body laugh… "I think some of these police would have tossed us in a dark hole if I hadn't been able to reach you."

After getting himself under control, Felix said, "So that explains why they want you to have a sitter. If they can't have you they're going to make sure you're long gone and someone else's problem. Let's get you something to eat and on the plane home."

The morning of the 24th found Harry walking out of Gringotts, with his eyes still heavy from jetlag. He had been to see his uncle and learned how to approach the goblins stationed in the castle; unfortunately they still were having problems accessing the hidden area. They knew it was there but could not find an entrance or even tunnel in, the enchantments were just too extensive.

Harry had almost finished his shopping when he saw his group of friends walking into his last stop, Flourish and Blotts, the book store. Rounding the corner he saw the place was completely packed, with a long line winding through the aisles of the store and out the door to where the girls stood at the end, giggling and pointing at a poster proclaiming, _Gilderoy Lockhart: Order of Merlin, Third Class Book Signing Today_, with a wizarding picture of a man smiling and showing more teeth than his head could hold.

Walking up to the only person that didn't seem to be preoccupied Harry said, "Neville, good to see you, what's going on and who is this Lockhart?"

Neville turned to face him. "Harry, you made it back! Lockhart? He has traveled all over, and fought all kinds of creatures, then he writes books about his adventures. I think every witch in the country is here to get him to sign his books, apparently that includes the girls. The twins, Daphne and Tracy say hello and will see you on the train, they couldn't make it today."

"It's no big deal, just thought it would be fun." He moved closer to the ladies and said, "That's it just ignore the person standing next to you. It's not like…"

The sound of shouts from just behind interrupted him. Turning he saw Lucius Malfoy in a shouting match with a red haired man in light brown robes. Suddenly the redheaded man launched himself at Malfoy, carrying them both into a large shelf of books that fell onto them.

"Arthur NO!" yelled a plump woman trying to grab him. The struggle was soon broken up by the Hogwarts grounds keeper.

Malfoy stood and dusted himself off and turned to walk away only to be facing Harry. "Harry Potter!" He reached for his wand only to have the heavy hand of Hagrid again on his shoulder.

"Don't think ya want to be doin' that Mr. Malfoy." Malfoy scowled up at the mountain of a man, with a harumph and sweep of his cape he strode away down the alley.

"Thank you Mr. Hagrid, that could have been unpleasant," Harry said with a smile.

"Just call me Hagrid, everybody does, Lord Potter-Black."

"Please it's just Harry." Hagrid grinned and nodded.

"Lord Potter-Black? May I have a word?" asked the redheaded man. His family had joined him, and after seeing Ron glaring at him Harry knew who they were, the Weasleys.

"Of course Mr. Weasley…" he began to reply, as he was grabbed from the side; acting on reflex he elbowed the person in the stomach and stomped down hard on the person's instep. Turning he saw the man from the picture.

"Very good Mr. Potter," Lockhart wheezed as he struggled to stay standing. "Everyone look who's dropped by, Harry Potter. As a special gift for taking the trouble, I am proud to present to him a full set of my books, including my new book _Magical Me_." Harry just looked on dumbstruck, was this man mad? He moved toward Harry again.

"You will stop there _Mr. Lockhart! _I do not know you, and I will not be used to peddle your books! I am here only to purchase my school books!" he said turning away. "I am sorry Mr. Weasley, you were saying?"

"Umm…" the man said looking around at the crowd nervously.

"Perhaps over a bit of ice-cream?" Harry asked.

"Yes, perhaps that's best."

"Neville, I'll be back soon."

"We'll be here, I'll get a set of books for you."

"Thanks Neville."

Harry and the Weasleys were soon sitting around a table with their ice-creams, that Harry insisted on paying for as it was his idea.

"Lord Potter-Black, I wanted to apologize in person for the marriage contract." The eyes of the girl bulged and she let out a loud squeak at hearing that, the boys didn't do much better. "We, Molly and I, should have known better but Professor Dumbledore had convinced us it was your parents' wish. We were honored that they seemed to think so highly of us, when he spoke with us we even offered to take you in."

"It's fine Mr. Weasley, no harm was done. Your apology was not necessary, it was Dumbledore's doing, I do not hold you or your family responsible."

"D-d-daddy?" came from the youngest Weasley. "I'm the only girl. I-Is that contract for me?" she asked.

Molly looked sadly at the girl. "It was, Ginny, but the person who approached us about it didn't have the right to, and when Lord Potter-Black found out about it he let us know it was done illegally."

"Oh." She looked crestfallen.

"Ginny," said Harry, "it has nothing to do with you or your family, I'm sure we will be good friends."

She looked up at him, "What if we are in different houses?"

"Even then, ask your brothers, I have friends in each house."

"Even Slytherin?" she crinkled her nose as she said it.

"Yes, even Slytherin." She smiled at him.


	31. Chapter 32

**CHAPTER 32**

Two weeks, two bloody weeks is all that it had taken for things to start spiraling out of control. The first problem was the Ponce, Gilderoy Lockhart. Some of the brains trust that was part of the Department of Magical Education had gotten the bright idea to invite him as a guest lecturer… for half the year! In doing that they had completely bypassed the school's Board of Governors. Within the first ten minutes Harry had decided he wasn't just a pretty boy fraud, he was an idiot. His quiz had questions on hair products, and favorite colors, then he opened a cage full of pixies and was chased away by them, leaving the students to fend them off, as Auror Cross couldn't stand being in the same room as Lockhart.

The expulsion of Draco had left a power vacuum that someone was definitely taking advantage of. There was a quiet progression of intimidation that had started with the attempted sabotage of potions, but Nick had done a commendable job of stopping anything dangerous while turning most into a learning experience of what to do in case of accident. Next came the more physical confrontations, students 'walking' into things, 'falling' down stairs. Whoever it was, was being careful, but not careful enough.

Harry was spending as much time as possible in the monitor suite, trying to dig through the security video from the system the goblins had installed. He had identified the first three as Malfoy's old group; Parkinson, Crabbe, and Goyle, but he thought the group consisted of at least two others.

A chime sounded and Harry looked up from the lower displays, a young woman he had seen in the surveillance video on several nights, was running through the hall followed quickly by a pair of dark figures. Harry stood and started to run toward the entrance.

"Gosheven." The air shimmered and a form appeared in the shadows. "Someone needs our help," he said as he pulled his invisibility cloak around him and ran out the door. The form shimmered and followed.

As they ran the two touched, and Harry felt the power rush through him and his perception begin to shift. His eyesight sharpened along with his other senses, and as this happened, the way he moved changed as he began running on four feet rather than two, and his speed increased. Soon, just as his Spirit Animal's name implied he was using great leaps to cover the distance up the stairs. He was happy that Gorgonia had suggested seeing if the cloak could be used in this form after seeing him use it to study the animals in the mountains.

Sliding around the last corner he could hear voices. "Ah… a little firsty, all for us!"

"N-No! Please!"

What he saw disgusted him. It was the seventh year Slytherin Prefect and someone else standing in the shadow. Harry ran down the hall at breakneck speed, and slammed into the seventh year's knees from behind, spinning him over onto his back with a sickening wet smack, tearing what remained of the girl's dress. Turning he dodged as spells began coming from the person in the shadows. He then leaped onto the shadow and rode it to the ground landing heavily on its chest. Standing he released the power loaned to him by his Spirit Animal and they separated. He quickly checked that both the attackers were subdued then moved to the girl. She had long platinum blond hair and was very slight. Her robes were torn through as was her dress and she had no shoes.

She looked up as if she knew just where he was and said, "Thank you, Harry Bond," then passed out.

He pulled off his cloak and folded it away, then covered her with the cloak it was hidden in.

"Thank you, Gosheven." The Spirit Cougar nodded then shimmered away.

Approaching a painting he tried to awaken it, none of the paintings in the area would respond. Giving up he pulled his wand and shot off a Cannon charm, the sound echoed up and down the halls. Soon feet could be heard as well as some shouts that Harry identified as Professors. Pointing his wand again he shot sparks down the hall, and it wasn't long till he was joined by them.

"Mr. Potter?" asked Professor Sprout. "What happened here?"

Professor Vector leaned over and began looking over the young girl, as the others looked at the bound pair.

"I heard a call for help and found these maggots standing over her, _Prefect_ Philips was telling her that she was a 'little firsty all for them' as he was tearing her clothes." Sprout looked horrified. "I found something else when I was trying to contact the staff." He stood and walked to the wall. "Heloooo…" he tapped on the painting. "Nothing, even with the Cannon charm, they are all like this up and down the corridor."

Morning found Harry sitting in the Headmaster's office, he had been here a while and was getting quite bored. "Lord Potter-Black?" asked a voice as it entered the room, it was Amelia, striding in with Minerva and Filius. "How did you know Miss. Lovegood was in trouble?"

"I heard her."

"And what, may I ask were you doing out in the middle of the night?"

"Walking, I couldn't sleep."

"Describe what you did."

"I heard her, then ran to help. I saw _Prefect _Philips standing over her and saying 'a little firsty just for us' and then he ripped her clothes. I ran up and hit him behind the knees he flipped over me and I think he was knocked unconscious. I dodged the spells from the one that was in the shadows and jumped onto him pushing him to the floor with me on top, then I tied them up with their belts."

"Do you know who the one in the shadows was?"

"No, I never looked close, I needed to check on the girl… you said her name was, what? Lovegood?"

"Yes, the second person said he never saw you, like a ghost was attacking them. Any idea what that is about?"

Harry internally stiffened. "No, maybe I was hidden in the shadows."

She didn't look sold but, "Maybe."

"So can I ask who the other pervert was?"

"Percy Weasley, do you know him?"

"He's a sixth year prefect, Gryffindor, a real stickler for the rules. His brother Ron is in my year, the twins are fourth years. I don't know any of them that well. I did talk with Mr. Weasley before school started, they wanted to apologize for the betrothal thing."

"BETROTHAL?" came from Filius and Minerva.

"Yeah, it was something Dumbledore cooked up, it was voided when I took up the title."

They nodded, and Amelia continued, "Did you notice anything unusual about the second attacker?"

"He didn't say much, so no I didn't."

"He's claiming he couldn't stop himself, and after checking Mr. Philips' wand I tend to agree. It seems he was under the Imperious Curse, a spell that can control another person."

Harry look startled, "There are spells that can do that?"

"Yes, unfortunately, but it is highly regulated and Mr. Philips will be facing prison time for its use."

"Any idea why he would use it on Percy?"

"It probably has something to do with the new Muggle Protection Act that Arthur Weasley is sponsoring. We'll get the full story under interrogation."

"So Percy has been cleared?" asked Minerva.

"Not yet, he will need to be questioned as well."

"Madam Bones, what about the paintings? Why couldn't I wake them?"

"It's a potion, when uncapped the vapors cause the paintings to freeze for several hours. It is very difficult to produce, several vials were found in Mr. Philips' things."

"Was Miss Lovegood targeted, or was Mr. Philips up to something else?" asked Filius.

"Unknown, I hope to find out when Miss Lovegood awakes."

"Headmistress? May I check on Ms. Lovegood?" asked Harry.

"We still need to discuss your punishment Mr. Potter."

"Yes ma'am."

"I need to speak with Lord Potter-Black before I go, Wizengamot business."

"Of course Madam Bones, we will be outside when you have finished," said Minerva.

After the pair had exited, Amelia cast her privacy charms.

"First I want to know how the hell you did what you did! Percy and the others may buy that shadows crap but I don't, the Fat Lady knows nothing of you being out after hours and no one has ever seen you! I want to know the story! Now!"

"It was something of my birth father's," he said standing and taking off his cloak. "Just don't tell anyone please? I just can't sleep sometimes and wander a little, it's not often and the exercise helps." He undid the seams and unfolded the invisibility cloak, and swung it around his shoulders and disappeared.

"Your Invisibility cloak? Harry does your father know you have this?"

"Yes ma'am he's the one who did the sewing to hide it like this, He wanted me to have it so I could always have a chance to escape if someone came after me."

"Harry you need to be careful with that, a normal one is valuable enough but this one is an heirloom, I don't even know how it exists. You see the fabric for a normal cloak is rare and expensive and will last maybe fifteen years at the most, but that one was around even when your father was in school. It has out-lasted any that I have heard about."

"The family journals have it going back generations!"

"That's probably why Dumbledore had it, he said he was studying it but I wonder how many secrets he found out using it? May I?" she asked holding up her wand.

"Sure," Harry said and hid completely under the cloak again.

She waved her wand and cast spell after spell, each time shaking her head.

"Nothing," she said as she finished. "Not a blessed thing. That was every sensory spell I know, there is no telling what he did with that thing over the time he had it."

"Why did he give it back then?"

"It was in your father's will, specifically listed. The goblins would have killed him if he had kept it, and they would have found it eventually." She put her wand away, as Harry refolded his cloak. "It is a good idea to have it, just don't get caught, as for being out after curfew… all of us did it once in a while," she said with a smile. "Go find the painting of the pears and tickle the center one, it's the door to the kitchen, always good for a snack."

Laughing, Harry said, "That's great! Thanks!"

Nodding, Amelia continued. "Harry I looked over your review of the laws and they seem well thought out. Who helped you?"

"Dad and Sirius. We mostly went with what we thought was common sense."

"I'll enter them at the first meeting."

"Can you send copies to the other Most Ancient and Most Noble families? I want to inform them first, and then they can read the explanations for why just as you did."

"Not a problem Harry, I'll take care of it as soon as I can."

"Thanks." She turned and walked away only to be replaced by a very stern looking Head Mistress and Deputy Headmaster."

"Out after curfew, but I guess Miss Lovegood is lucky you were out **this** time, but it will be three detentions just the same. It is for your safety that the curfew is in effect. If you fell or there was an accident it could be hours till someone found you, or longer if it was an unused portion of the castle. Understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I'll just need to find some other way of exercising if I can't sleep."

"Please do Mr. Potter."

"You may see Miss Lovegood this evening, after she has spoken with her father."

"Yes Ma'am."


	32. Chapter 33

**CHAPTER 33**

It was an hour before dinner when Harry finally made it to the hospital wing. Entering he found the only patient had a visitor who looked like a kindly man with an odd sense in color, as his robes were trimmed with sunburst orange and he wore a pendant that kind of looked like it belonged in a video on MTV. He was quietly reading Agatha Christie's _Ten Little Indians_ to her while she appeared to be reading a newspaper upside down.

Harry cleared his throat and they both looked up. "Mr. Lovegood, Ms. Lovegood, I'm Harry Potter-Black I came to check if you were ok. I'm sorry that I could not get there sooner."

"It is ok Harry Bond you arrived in time to stop them before it was too late," replied the young woman while her father looked on. "Please thank your friend for his help as well, he is quite beautiful."

Harry stood there stunned, had she seen his spirit animal?

"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Luna Lovegood and this is my father Xenophilius, everyone calls him Xeno," she said with a smile; a few moments later she turned to her father. "I think he has a case of Wrackspurts Daddy."

"Most likely Buttercup. I'd better go; Madam Bones wants to meet with me." Standing he walked near Harry and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for saving my princess's life, she's all I have left. Please continue to look out for her. If you ever need anything please feel free to contact me. See you soon Buttercup," he said then walked out the door.

A very confused Harry slowly walked to Luna's bedside and sat in the chair. "That's a good book."

"Yes I read it when I was six. Daddy loves them so whenever I'm sick he likes to read them to me."

"Why did you call me Harry Bond?"

"That's who you are silly! You are also a Potter and a Black but they really don't matter to you. Not like being a Bond. That _is_ something you will give the world for."

"B-b…"

"Your friend is quite beautiful. Please introduce us some time. Daddy was on Chapter 5," she said handing him the book. "You can start there."

She adjusted her paper, and Harry slowly recovered and began to read.

* * *

><p>Draco was not a happy person, as a matter of fact for the first time in his life he was scared to death. He had been in this perpetual state for almost 24 hours, and every time he thought things were about over they got worse.<p>

He was awoken by a large hand grabbing him and pulling him from bed when it was still dark outside and dragging him to the bathroom. When he was shoved through the door he was told that he had one hour to bathe and eat breakfast, his new luggage and clothes were packed and downstairs. He stood under the water that never got warm and grumbled, he never thought he would be treated this way.

"I can't believe this, I gave up everything, only to come here and work." He had worked all summer, told that it was to pay for the extra expenses of his new school. He had wanted to plead his case and return to Hogwarts but was told, _**firmly**_, that that was _**NOT**_ going to happen. It was either go to a local school that only went to OWLS, and take whatever job he could get with that, or go where he was told and get his NEWTS and possibly a mastery and have help starting a business or help finding a better job. He had no idea how much his work here in this… place, had brought him but he hoped it was enough.

Walking back into his room he saw the clothes on the bed and he wanted to scream, MUGGLE clothes? Pants made of some form of heavy faded blue fabric with metal fasteners at the edges of the pockets, a leather belt. A shirt with a collar and short sleeves and only three buttons on the small neck opening, then these odd lace-up shoes that were surprisingly comfortable and flexible. Finally a strange leather short coat.

Dressed he walked downstairs, to see Lord Black and his mother standing by the door both dressed as muggles. He thought Lord Black was wearing something he called a suit with an electric blue tie, his mother was in a feminine version… but instead of a skirt she was wearing… pants? She had a beautiful brooch at her throat with a stylized B in the center.

"You took too long, you've missed breakfast!" said Sirius. "Stand here. Let me fix this." He reached for Draco and undid the top button of his black Polo, then got down on one knee and undid the laces on his high tops spreading them out at the top. "They should just be loose enough to stay on, once they are broke in good you will be able to slip them on and off with a flip of your foot. "Put this on," he said handing him a watch. "It's a good watch, if you take care of it it'll last your lifetime, and you don't need to wind it. As long as you wear it at least a couple of hours every couple of days it will wind itself."

"Wow," said Draco, slipping the gold and silver watch on his wrist. "That's a great bit of magic. Is it done with runes or something?"

"No," said his mother. "It's a non-magical's invention."

Draco just looked at her as if her head had fallen off.

"Let's go," said Sirius, stepping out the door of 12 Grimmauld Place, and walking to the limousine at the end of the walkway. The driver opened the door and Narcissa entered first, Sirius then motioned for Draco to enter. Sliding across to the other side he was stunned by the inside. A long bench seat sat sideways the length of the area with a crystal decanter and glass set in holders across from it. Leather was everywhere, he wanted to explore but thought better of it as Sirius stared at him as he entered with a stern look on his face. So he settled in, and watched as his mother and Sirius worked and passed papers back and forth as they rode.

He cringed almost the entire trip, other vehicles swerved in and out all around them, so close if he had reached out half his arm would be in the other vehicle, and the muggles! He knew there were more of them than wizards but this! So many! Then came the next jolt.

Alongside he saw a large cylinder of metal with long flat plates on the sides and back moving faster than them, then it tilted, one half lifting into the air, then the whole thing lifted into the air.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF MERLIN IS THAT?"

Narcissa cursed as she started picking up the pages she scattered when he yelled.

"THAT, young Draco is an airplane. A non-magical way of transport; they are very fast, much faster than the fastest broom, and can carry freight or passengers. Take a good look, you'll be on one in a few minutes."

His eyes grew large at that, and he started to hyperventilate. "N-No! I can't. Y-You can't. Mum NO! It can't be safe!"

"You will! Otherwise you go to a local magic school!"

He shut his eyes, gulped a big breath of air and nodded slowly. He followed them numbly through Heathrow Airport staying close and wishing he had his wand; it was packed safely in his luggage. The time in the boarding lounge seemed to take forever, but when it was time to board it seemed to have passed all too quickly. They walked down the gangplank and onto the plane. The adults were directed to their seats in first class, and Draco followed only to be told that his seat was further to the back. Narcissa leaned over and told him it was safe and they would see him when they landed. Looking dejected he walked to the curtain and showed the woman his ticket and was directed to his seat. It was smaller and didn't look remotely as comfortable. He sat up against the window and looked down. He wanted to throw up.

If it hadn't been for the nice Flight Attendant, Frankie, he didn't think he would have made it. She had taken pity on him when she saw his distress and helped him through his first flight. She even got him a set of headphones so he could watch the movie to keep his mind off the flight; because of that his first exposure to film was _Pinocchio_, followed by _Batman Returns_. One he thought was brilliant, the other disturbing, but both kept his mind off the flight.

New York travel was as bad if not worse than London, only the majority of the offending vehicles were bright yellow, with odd signs on the top. Finally he stopped looking and focused on the box that Sirius had messed with that had moving pictures in it much like the movies from the plane. He called it TV, and it was showing the local news. It took a night in a hotel and a trip on a train to get to his new school, The Salem Academy.

Sirius turned and looked him in the eye. "Draco this is your chance to reinvent yourself. No one here knows you or your father, nor does blood purity mean a thing here. Here you are just Draco Black, student. The teachers understand that you were raised purely magical and will help you adjust, it's nothing to worry about. This is your future, grab hold of it." For the first time in months Sirius smiled at him.

"Draco," his mother pulled out a book. "This has the number that we can be reached at, till you get used to using the telephone yourself someone will help you. If we don't answer, you can leave a message and we'll call as soon as we can. I'll call every Thursday at six. I love you, and we'll see you at Christmas."

"What are you going to do now?"

"Help Sirius find an old friend, maybe even find some part of Narcissa Black again."

He hugged her then shook Sirius's hand, turned slowly and walked up the path to the front door.

"Will he be ok, Sirius?"

"He's your son, and he's a Black. He'll do great."


	33. Chapter 34

**CHAPTER 34**

Amelia had one question about now, _HOW IN THE NAME OF MERLIN DID I GET HERE_? The office she was sitting in was comfortable if a little masculine for her taste. The paneling was of rich wood and the chairs covered in well worn buttery soft red leather. She slowly sat up in the chair as the woman behind the desk turned her chair around and gave her a genuine smile. She had short grey hair, and light blue eyes that reminded her of steel.

"Ah Madam Bones please rest easy, I assure you, you are in no danger here." Amelia reached for her wand but found it missing. "I'm sorry but you have been relieved of anything magical for the time being." She slowly stood and walked around the desk sitting carefully on the front edge. "You may call me M, I represent Her Majesty's Government, specifically a department not unlike your Unspeakables, called MI6. We deal in covert intelligence, and you have come to our attention."

Amelia stiffened in her seat, she had come to the attention of the muggle government? She started working backward in her mind, she remembered arriving near the wards of the Bond house then… she reached for her neck, a small lump had formed just below her ear.

"It was just a sedative, it kept you unconscious for about an hour. How do you take your coffee?"

"Light one sugar?"

Her host nodded and turned to press something on the desk. "Moneypenny? Coffee, cream and one sugar for our guest."

"_Yes ma'am_," came a small voice.

"I apologise for any inconvenience but it was decided that it was of the utmost importance that you were contacted. We have a few minutes for you to gather yourself and then we will head out to a meeting with the Prime Minister and a few others."

"The Prime Minister? Others? What about the Statute of Secrecy? How many mugg... people know about us?"

"Only those chosen within the government. I'm new to the job mind you, haven't even had a chance to redecorate the office," M said with a chuckle.

"If I may, why M?"

"A simple precaution, separating our lives within and outside of the agencies, it protects our loved ones."

Simple but ingenious Amelia thought. "I suppose most other titles are the same?"

"Above a certain grade, yes."

An attractive if older woman entered and placed a tray with two cups and a small pot on the table. "Anything else Director?"

"No, Moneypenny. Thank you and when they are ready for us please let us know."

"Yes ma'am, 007 and Mr. Gold will be in attendance as asked, but Strider is not available as travel at this time is impossible."

"Understood, remind 007 and Mr. Gold that as this is an introductory meeting they may not be needed."

Nodding the woman turned and walked away.

Amelia carefully watched as M made herself a cup of coffee, then made her own. "More code names?"

"Forgive us, but yes. We have done a lot of research on the Wizarding World but still many questions remain, and we felt that an insider's view was necessary."

"I don't know why you think..." M held up her hand as a buzz came from her desk.

"They are ready for us." She stood and motioned to the door, "After you."

The oak door opened into a small conference room full of people, some in uniforms some not; it unnerved her to be there without her wand. After ushering Amelia to a seat at the end of the table, M walked down to a seat near the person at the far end, who she assumed was the Prime Minister.

"Madam Amelia Celeste Bones, born March 12, 1958, entered Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry 1969, graduated 1976, interned as a cursebreaker with Gringotts till January 1978. Entered Auror accelerated training January 1978, graduated as team captain June 1979. Numerous combat citations, Head Auror 1985, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement 1990."

"Parents: Fredric Martin and Susan Elisabeth Bones, deceased. Siblings: Edgar Robert Bones and Sara Joanne Bones, deceased. Only known living relative Susan Celeste Bones age 12, daughter of your sister Sara. Correct?"

"Y-yes." How did they get that information? Her mind was racing.

"Home address: Mill Hill, Edenbridge, England. Also known as The Ossuary?"

"What! How do you know that?"

"Excellent," he said shuffling the papers. "Madam Bones I am Prime Minister John Major. To my right is the Lord Chancellor, the Secretary of State for Justice: The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mackay of Clashfern, Secretary of Defense: The Rt. Hon. Michael Portillo, Secretary of State for Scotland:The Rt. Hon. Michael Forsyth, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland: The Rt. Hon. Sir Patrick Mayhew, Secretary of State for Wales: The Rt. Hon. William Hague.

"To my left, Director of MI5: K, Director of MI6: M, Ministers of State: The Hon. Nicholas Soames, Attorney-General: The Rt. Hon. Sir Nicholas Lyell, General Malcolm Knight, Admiral Jason March."

"Madam Bones, how do you feel things are in the magical world?"

"S-Sir, I'm not sure why you are asking me, and I don't think that I can answer any of your questions because of both my oath to the Wizengamot and the Secrecy Accords."

"The Accords have no bearing on those in this room as we are all fully authorized as agents of the United Kingdom Government. As for your oath, it may name the Wizengamot as your authority but they owe their allegiance to the Crown just as any citizen of these lands."

"Sir, we have been obliged to keep your government informed of our world as a courtesy, but we have been a separate government for hundreds of years!"

The Attorney-General leaned forward and said, "Have you read your own Wizengamot Charter and amendments? My team has, as well as going through your laws. You still are citizens of the United Kingdom, and are subject to laws passed by Her Majesty's Government. The only caveat that was to be allowed to the Wizengamot, and the Ministry was self-enforcement, all laws were to pass through a committee made up from the House of Lords and the House of Commons and be held to the standards of the realm. There were even seats arranged in both, according to their rules, to be available to those from the Wizarding World. Those laws have been ignored and perverted into what stands today. If you do not believe it I have a brief prepared for you citing your laws and ours, please feel free to take it at the end of this session and have it looked into."

"B-but even if that is true, why contact me? Shouldn't you be speaking with Minister Fudge? Or Dum- o-or someone from the Wizengamot?"

The Prime Minister addressed her. "Minister Fudge has been approached but, we suspect on advice from those he trusts, has dismissed any discussion. As a matter of fact he has refused any form of communication, and has only seen fit to speak with me once, on the night I took office... at one AM. As for your much vaunted Albus Dumbledore, I believe you are having issues with him as well. Where else would you start? We need someone who knows your world and is trustworthy, besides as one of the eight Most Ancient and Most Noble families you are in an even better position to help the Crown."

The questions and answers went on into the night, a very quiet by the end Madam Bones was led away from the room.

"Please come in 007, Mr. Ragnarok." The two entered from the doors behind the Prime Minister. "Do you think she will help?"

James looked at Ragnarok then back, "Yes Sir, She'll do her research then... Then she'll get angry, she will hate the fact they have been lied to and the law has been twisted. I just wish we knew when the changes started."

"We know that they agreed as of 1707 but our research is slow in finding when things changed."

Ragnarok added, "We are looking in our records as well, but very little of the interaction between your worlds was recorded."

James shook his head, "At some point, someone hid their tracks very well."

* * *

><p>Harry and his friends had just left one of the most surreal experiences that they felt they would ever attend in their lives, Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington's five-hundredth Deathday Party. Nicholas, or as he was known to most now Nearly Headless Nick, had on this day been put to death for a minor magical mishap that had unfortunately involved a noblewoman, in 1492. He had thrown a Deathday party every year since, and it was the event of the year among the ghost community as it was combined with Halloween.<p>

Having overheard Nick speaking of a Deathday party to another house ghost, Harry approached Nick to ask a simple question, 'What is a Deathday party?' Before he knew it he and his friends had been invited to attend. What they found astounded them.

Everything was done in dark colors, and 'food' was placed on all the tables. Nick explained things as he led them around and introduced them, meanwhile Luna went another way and started speaking to some of the guests as if they were old friends. Once again she left Harry thoroughly confused and the rest wondering why Harry had asked the odd girl to come along.

"The food on the table has been well aged," (read rotted thought Harry), "once it is we can almost taste it," Nick said lowering himself and moving through a table while opening his mouth. "Delicious."

For the remainder of the evening Harry relied on Daphne to guide them through and tell them the instant it was polite to leave, all while trying to keep their dinner down.

Halfway back harry felt the buzz of the device on his belt that alerted him that one of the 'sleeping' surveillance devices had activated.

"Oh my," said Luna. "I seem to have lost an earring, Harry would you go back with me and help me look?"

"Luna," said Padma, "It is made of a radish! Just make another."

"But it would be such a shame to mess up a pair." She gave Harry a pout and turned to walk back.

"It's no problem, I'll go with her, and make sure she gets back ok. See you all tomorrow." He jogged after her, "Besides I told her father I'd look out for her."

About the time they reached one of the moving staircases Luna stretched and the earring fell out of her hair and bounced on the floor. "Goody, I didn't lose it," she said stepping on the top step to pick it up. Just then the staircase swung away to another passage.

"Oops," she said. "Don't worry about me Harry it would take longer to get to me than it will for me just to go back to Ravenclaw. I'll see you in the morning." Spinning she skipped down the hall, leaving Harry stunned once again.

"How... What..." He turned and began to walk towards the monitor room, trying to figure out the puzzle that was Luna Lovegood.


	34. Chapter 35

**CHAPTER 35**

Harry still did not know what to make of the visuals on the tapes, the first of the warnings seemed to coincide with a person hidden in the shadows moving along the hallways. The movements were careful and deliberate, always in the darkest of shadows and quick enough to show that the person was familiar with not only the castle layout but with the best places to hide. He also noticed that the paintings in the passages became non responsive much the way that they did the night of Luna's attack, but with a much shorter duration.

What came next was what disturbed him most, a large shadow began moving around the corner from one of the surveillance pods, as it turned into the main hall there was a flash of gold and the system that recorded it shorted out, causing the loss of the four cameras that monitored the area. Even the recorder hooked to those cameras was nothing more than a large paperweight, only using one of the spares had he been able to see that much. Frustrated he decided he needed to see the area for himself.

He carefully padded through the halls and soon he was in the same hallway as the bathroom that he battled the troll in. He stood almost transfixed at the sight before him; hanging by the tail was the caretaker's cat as hard as stone and written on the wall was a message in blood.

"'The Chamber Of Secrets Has Been Opened. Enemies Of The Heir, Beware', well that's ominous," he said to himself. Reaching forward he felt the blood, it still felt wet but did not come off onto his hand. "Some sort of spell?" He retreated just in time as the caretaker, Argus Filch, arrived and screamed at the sight of his beloved pet. Harry moved as quickly as possible to the Gryffindor dorms as he was sure there would be a check on the students soon.

The attack on Mrs. Norris was the talk of the morning the next day, most seemed to think it was a prank on the much disliked caretaker. Harry knew better, and began to plan what needed to be done. First he approached the goblins stationed in the castle about the repairs to the cameras and adding microphone only pods to the area. He then wrote his uncle to see if this 'chamber' could also be the area that the goblins could not gain access to. Then he was left with the most difficult of puzzles, what could do such a thing.

* * *

><p>Amelia sat at the desk in the study in her ancestral home staring at the books on the desk. They had been lied to, deceived by those in power. The proof of it lay in her hands, the journals of her family. The Bones line seemed to breed those that spent their life in law enforcement, so along with the journals had been the code books and laws of the day for each of the heads. Something changed around the time of Alexander Bones's time, the new set of law books from 1768 differed greatly from those just a few years earlier; suddenly they no longer made any reference to any review from the United Kingdom Government.<p>

The records that her family had kept were sparse at the time as the family was in turmoil because of the loss of the Head of House protecting the Duke of Cumberland in the battle of Hastenbeck, a part of the Seven Years War, after which his son was not found worthy by the house magic for some time. The son's journals started in 1760 and through the time he was an Auror he thought nothing of the change.

"Did he never read the journal of his father?" she asked to an empty room. "His father was killed on a mission asked of him by the Crown for Merlin's sake! What changed? Why did none of the families notice?"

She next moved to the files of the successions and announcements of the other Most Ancient and Most Noble families, starting with her own. The Bones family was once very large, family homes passed slowly with the daughters to other families, finally moving far enough away their children could not be thought of as Bones anymore, and the fortunes of time whittled away those with the name Bones, till the only ones left were herself and Susan.

She allowed her thoughts to linger on her niece for a time, she was such a loving child. She only had one great hope for her, that she find a way to continue the line of Bones. Perhaps she could; if not…

She sat bolt upright, fingers flying over the papers in the file. Hours passed in what seemed like seconds to her as she read and made notes. That was what was happening, someone was targeting the families! Only two of them had male heirs! And one controlled two houses! Both had had open assassination attempts, enough that they had been secreted away!

The other families all had female heirs, the last of their lines unless someone loved them enough to give up their name and be a proxy head until their eldest came of age. Very few families even had more than one male child, and non-magicals would be reluctant to do so, even worse the seats would be suspended as they would not be allowed to sit as proxy.

Someone wanted the Families destroyed, and the magical world locked away from the non-magical for some reason. With that she had made up her mind. She gathered her notes and made copies, one set for Susan and one for her. Then she wrote a note she hoped Susan would never read, and placed it and the notes in the hidden compartment of the office and walked out of the house, praying to every deity she could think of that the course of action she was taking wasn't going to be the death of her.

Amelia sat down heavily in one of the chairs outside her favorite bistro, a cup of coffee sat in front of her and even its aroma could not pierce her muddled thoughts. She was actually stunned she was still alive, over the time it took to get here and make the call to the number given to her by M, she had almost convinced herself that she would be dead as she dialed or talked as it was her intent to violate her vow.

But here she sat, alive… so far. She sipped her coffee, and relished the warmth as it moved down her throat. Looking out the window into the night she just stared, as he tried to figure out the ramifications of the information in her possession. All too soon a young man approached her and asked if she had called a cab, nodding she stood and walked outside to where the cab had pulled up to the curb. Checking the number she stepped in.

"I was told you would know where to go?"

The driver grumbled and pulled away, she settled back and watched as the lights passed by. She had spent some time in the non-magical world but it had been years ago and the changes were astounding; even now in the middle of the night the city was full of movement and life. They had moved forward while the world she called home was growing stagnant and starting to wither. With each passing block she became more certain of her path.

Soon she was escorted into a conference room, where looking around, she recognized many of the faces from before.

"Welcome, Madam Bones," said M from the head of the table. "The others will be joining us by telephone shortly."

By the time Amelia was seated and comfortable the box on the table buzzed and the tinny voice of the Prime Minister made itself known.

"M, is everyone available?"

"Yes Sir, everyone is here."

"Excellent, Madam Bones I hope that our research was satisfactory?"

"Yes, it was very thorough, but you understand I needed to verify it for myself?"

"Quite, especially considering what was explained to me about magical vows. Can they really cost a person their magic or even their lives?"

"Yes they can, and I am still not completely convinced that this will not cost me my life, but with what I have discovered I believe it is important enough to risk it." She went on to tell them of her suspicions, and what her own research had found.

"That is disturbing indeed," said the Prime Minister. "You realize that if the course that is laid out is followed your family's position will no longer mean political power? Elections will eventually be held and you will need to acknowledge that while your world may self-police, they are still a part of the national government?"

"Yes, Sir. I believe that is for the best."

"Very good! M has a magical vow for you to take." Amelia gulped, she wasn't sure if they knew what they were asking. "It is to protect our people and information and then we will talk again."

In a whirl she was suddenly saying a vow to the Crown, with a flash of light it was complete and she collapsed to the floor unconscious.

Sound was the first thing that returned to her, a repetitive beep. Slowly she opened her eyes and tried to sit up.

"Oh, no you don't Amelia, stay still and let the doctors and healers have a good look at you," came a male voice; she thought she knew it but just couldn't quite remember.

Looking around a face she recognized swam into view. "James? James, what are you doing here?"

"Checking on you. You gave us quite a scare, we thought all our research was wrong when you fell over. It was based on the fact that you had sworn yourself to a governing body that had misrepresented itself as a legitimate government. It seems we were right, what was actually used was a reinforced compulsion charm... or loyalty charm. It has been removed, so you'll be up and around soon."

Confusion was etched on her face. "Those are illegal! How did you remove them? I didn't know there were magicals working for the non-magical government!"

"Easy my friend, we didn't remove them, our allies did, and as far as we know we don't have any magicals working for us."

"Allies?"

A smile passed over James's face. "Madam Amelia Bones, meet High Chieftain Ragnarok of the Goblin nations," gesturing to the door, as that personage entered followed by what she assumed were Goblin healers.

"HIGH CHIEFTAIN!" Her eyes grew large, and she tried to rise.

"Please, stay as you are Madam Bones. We are all allies here."

"High Chieftain, it is an honor to meet you," she said offering her hand out of reflex.

Taking her arm in a warrior's greeting, he said, "It takes a lot of spirit and bravery to do what you did this evening. I am proud that my friend and nephew count you among their friends."

"Nephew? I'm not sure who you mean."

With a laugh he said, "Harry Potter-Black-Bond, of course," as M entered the room, and the pieces began to fall together in her addled mind.


	35. Chapter 36

**CHAPTER 36**

Lighting flashed and spread harsh shadows in the hallway, where a figure moved quickly awaiting the crash of thunder that would follow before opening the door before him at the end of the hall. Gone was the man he once was, no longer did he have the long flowing beard and hair, they had been discarded along with the gaudy clothing and kindly grandfather façade he had once worn. Just like the idea of senility that had gotten that mind healer too close, the one whose body was still cooling on the floor in his room, in a pool of her own blood.

The wand in his hand was not a good match but it would make it easier for him to get out of this place. Moving quickly he approached the healer station at the end of the hall, quiet voices reached him as he carefully peered around the corner. One man and two women; he did not pay their conversation any mind and prepared to start casting as soon as the next flash of lighting began. Three well placed cutting hexes later and three bodies dropped to the floor blood oozing and looking like ink in the darkness.

He moved to the bodies and pulled them behind the station wall and searched for anything useful, he had been lucky the man had been an Auror. Three wands, a hand full of money and a pair of magic suppressor handcuffs were slipped into his pocket as he moved down the hall, to the apparition point and out of the surrounding wards.

Turning he let a dark smirk raise to his face as he spoke a final spell, using the Auror's wand and pushing as much as he felt safe into it, and still be able to apparate a few times. Fire sprang from his wand and covered the room. As he twisted to disappear he chuckled and thanked the stupid muggles for that flame thrower idea it was wonderful for covering your tracks.

St. Mungo's burned in the heart of a late autumn storm.

* * *

><p>It had taken several weeks, but they were much closer to finding the entrance, they could detect it but it was a form of magical passage they were unfamiliar with, probably some form of portal lost to time. Discussions had been held with the Headmistress and it had been decided that the goblins would be more active in defense for the area. They would openly patrol it after curfew and guard the dorm doors as well assuring no one would be out in the halls.<p>

That had lasted all of two weeks.

Lying on the floor in front of Bloodrunner were a pair of redheads.

"They give you any trouble?" he asked the young shadow warrior.

"Not trouble in the traditional sense, they posed no physical threat, but they have a knowledge of this castle that is much beyond most of the students and are adept at evasion."

Bloodrunner surveyed the contents of their pockets on the table, dungbombs, fizzing whizbees, assorted candy that tested positive for various potions, and a very interesting piece of paper that they had been trying to do something with before they were captured.

The parchment was what held his interest, it held a detailed map with moving representations of all the occupants of the castle, the only ones not showing were the goblins themselves thanks to the anti-tracking runes placed on their armor. A request had already been made to Gringotts for an investigation of this relic as soon as possible, and thanks to the muggle communications device he knew the investigators were to arrive the next evening.

"Wake them." The other goblin knelt and uncapped a vial under their noses.

Both of the boys startled awake at the foul smell, and sat up quickly holding their pained heads. Seeing their captors for the first time they crab walked back till their backs hit the wall, trembling with fear.

'Goblins! What are they doing here?' They both thought looking at each other, then at their captors.

"Be at peace younglings, we wish you and your school no harm," said Bloodrunner.

"T-Then why attack us? Why are you even in Hogwarts?" the one on the left asked.

"Attack?" he said with a laugh. "If I or my people had attacked, you would no longer draw breath. We do not attack younglings anyway. Especially in their own home. If you had but given up when approached you would have been escorted here then to the Headmistress. As for the reason we are here, it is at the invitation of your Headmistress, as it is with her and the Board of Governors that we were contracted.

"As for why I woke you here, I need to know everything you know of this parchment. It could make our job here much easer, and I'm sure you won't mind letting us borrow it," he said with a toothy grin.

The boy on the right began to speak after a quick glance at his brother. "W-we found it. It was in Filch's office..." The other continued, "We nicked it, and it took a while to find out how to use it..."

"There was a group of pranksters here before us called the Marauders, no one knows who they were but with that," the first twin said pointing to the map, "we found their nicknames."

"Moony, Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail; we had found a journal of their pranks in a notebook our first year," came from the other.

"It was well hidden but after our mother we got real good at hiding things. In that we had found their pledge, 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good', and their calling card, 'mischief managed', they left that at each of their pranks."

"If you don't use the first phrase when you are opening it the map will just look like a piece of parchment that insults the user, and you need a wand to do it as well."

Bloodrunner waved his hand over it and said, "Mischief managed." The twins were stunned as the map faded. "Evidently you don't." And as he said, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good," the map reappeared.

* * *

><p>Amelia stood at the edge of the burned rubble that had been St. Mungo's, the loss was catastrophic, fifty patients, five healers, and ten others killed… including an Auror. But regrettable as the loss of life was, the loss of St. Mungo's was possibly worse.<p>

It had stood through centuries and was even older than the Ministry building, and now with this the treatment of the sick and injured was impeded to an amount that was crippling. Most families, and even on duty Aurors, possessed portkeys that brought them here and now they were all useless.

A stocky man, dressed in healer's robes approached her. "Madam Bones?"

"Yes, Master Healer Martin," she replied to the man.

"We need to find someplace for an emergency hospital to be placed, even if it is the foyer of the Ministry. We have already had someone that used their portkey here, all of those need to be redirected and the public informed as soon as possible."

"It will be on the wizarding wireless as soon as possible, but they usually do not start their broadcast day till five, and the Prophet is replacing their front page as we speak. As for an emergency area… I don't know… Take over the rooms at the Leaky Cauldron. You'll have access to the kitchens there and easy access to potions, ingredients, and supplies. The Ministry is getting a list of emergency portkeys together and will send out teams to redirect them. Do you or your staff need anything else?"

He nodded. "We will also need to advise Dowager Longbottom that her son and daughter in-law were not able to be rescued last night."

Amelia flinched at the thought. "I'll do that myself, she's... a family friend."

Again he nodded. "Albus was in there as well," he whispered.

"I know… but without being able to identify the bodies I'd rather let people believe he is still out there somewhere. Very few knew he was here, let's keep it that way."

"Very well."

* * *

><p>"Good morning Amelia," said the older woman entering the sitting room. "To what do I owe…" Her voice dropped away as she caught sight of her old friend. Her robes were covered with ground in dirt and soot, her eyes haunted.<p>

Amelia walked closer and opened her mouth slowly to speak. "There was a fire Gussy, St. Mungo's is a total loss... We... I couldn't get to them…" She watched, her eyes filled with tears as the woman's remaining hope for her children shattered, and she fell crying to the floor. Knowing this was only the first stop today, she still needed to get to Hogwarts before the Prophet arrived and tell Neville.

* * *

><p>Christmas was coming near, it would be nice not to need to skulk around like they had been, and the day the students went home for the holidays they were due to be relieved. "Two days!" he thought. "How much have my younglings grown?" He shook his head. "Keep your head on the mission," he thought berating himself.<p>

Gut-tearer was amazed at the new supplies that he and his brothers had been given, those mugg... no, he corrected himself, those non-magicals had a talent with these things that they created. A magic all their own. He slid silently around the corner, his brothers following suit, the corridor looked as bright as day in the night vision goggles. His hands held his suppressed Heckler and Koch MP5, and his trusted sword was a solid weight on his left hip.

He heard a voice whisper in his ear via the radio headpiece. "Contact, thermal, left corridor, large signature."

"Read, set defensive, be sure of your target." He moved to an alcove and took aim down the hall. The hall was soon a mass of violence then silence.

When the support team arrived they found two dead and three turned to stone, just like the cat. They swarmed the hall looking for anything, finding the projectiles of their comrade's MP5 littering the halls.

"Nothing, not a drop of blood, and whatever they were shooting at they hit." He said pushing a squashed bullet with the toe of his boot.

"Get them out of here and clear all signs of this. Contact Bond, get him to the monitors. I'm going to speak with the headmistress then we are going hunting."


	36. Chapter 37

**CHAPTER 37**

Being woken in the middle of the night by a goblin was not the most pleasant of ways to be woken, but much less so when you are woken by a goblin thirsting for blood. The moonlight glinting off the curved pointed teeth of the shadow warrior still stood out in Harry's mind as he ran through the halls, sending a shudder through him, he was glad that maniacal grin was not directed toward him.

Skidding around the last corridor, his invisibility cloak flapping around his legs he began thinking of the room he needed as he passed the tapestry of three dancing trolls for the first time. Soon he was settling behind the bank of monitors and backing up the multiple tapes.

"Shadow One, Strider. What was the time of the attack?" Reaching up to his throat Harry keyed his throat mike.

"Strider, we are at attack +24 minutes."

"Roger +24, repeat +24."

"Confirmed."

He clicked the video machines and the time codes rewound at high speed, while one machine sat quiet.

"Damn it!"

"Shadow One! Be advised we have lost video on corridor five level 2! The system seems burnt out again. Proceed with caution! Will check the audio system."

"Roger Strider. Meeting with Keeper complete. She and the heads are making the rounds now."

"Great… and here I am out of the dorm with McGonagall and her bunch checking up on us." Harry muttered under his breath.

"Shadow One, I hope you have something planned for me. Keeper will be pissed if I'm caught out of the tower."

"Roger that, Strider. We've got one of our own holding down your fort," came over the line in a chuckle.

"Laugh it up! She's in charge of my grades not yours Shadow One!"

"Roger Strider."

"Keying up the mikes in corridor five level 2 now. Will report when done. Strider out."

"Roger, Shadow One out."

Pulling on a pair of headphones and settling in Harry began to listen to the secondary system. Quiet followed by the puffs of suppressed automatic weapon fire, shouts from the goblins… that were almost immediately strangled out by whatever had petrified or killed them. Soon after he could hear something heavy scraping in the hallway. some form of odd hissing noises and then the area was quiet again.

"Shadow One, Strider. What ever it was is large, and heavy. Be advised, it did not pass any further than that hall! The entrance is there someplace, I'll be down with a copy of what I have in ten."

"Roger, see you in ten."

Harry stood in the room that once held Hagrid's pet Fluffy, watching as the goblins hauled boxes up from the trap door.

"Armor piercing ammunition, and goblin blades, whatever that thing is we will hunt it down," said the goblin behind Harry.

"I hope it's enough."

"It will be, that is enough to take down a full size dragon. I know, we tested it." Placing his hand on the young man's shoulder, he continued, "Now let's hear what you have."

Slowly they went through each of the recordings from the individual microphones. At one point Shadow One asked for it to be replayed.

"Did you hear it?" Harry asked.

"Possibly." The tape was played again. "Yes, that…Parseltoungue!"

"What?"

"Parseltoungue, young Harry, it is a magical language. The language of snakes, it was said that one of the founders of this school spoke it, Salazar Slytherin. Where was this recorded?"

"The girl's bathroom, level two."

"Then that's where we are headed. Harry stay here, and let me have a copy of that recording."

"Keep your comms open. I've put in a request for backup, but Mr. Gold said good hunting."

A predatory smile spread across the goblin's face. "Hunting is what we do."

It had been ten minutes since the team had found the entrance and used the recording to open the portal, five minutes from the time that they described the entrance area covered in bones and large discarded snake skins, and less than two from the start of the fire fight. Thirty seconds later Harry was charging down the hall with his spirit guide, the cougar known as Gosheven, and the Sword of Gryffindor in his hand.

Reaching down to the back of the golden cat Harry willed his magic into it and the ghostly cat flashed and became solid, as Harry's grin became more feral. Of the things he had learned to become one with the spirit guide, this was his favorite. When they joined it was one heart, one mind, one body, but this… his mind was his own but he could see, hear, and feel more. He was being gifted with as many extra physical abilities as his magic gave physical form to in the spirit animal, he became a true human predator. Though it did have a drawback. If he was lost in the power and kept it up too long… it could destroy him, his humanity forever lost leaving a predator without any guiding force.

He found the portal in the center set of sinks in the restroom, a gaping maw that led into darkness. Looking at his companion he drew a deep breath and smelt burnt gunpowder, blood, and the stench of death. Steeling himself he looked again at his companion and shrugged.

"Geronimo!" he said as he jumped into the portal. Landing at the bottom on uneven footing he felt a weight near him. "Let's go."

He crossed the floor covered in animal bones as quickly as he could, only pausing a moment to look at the large snakeskin circling the room… It was almost as wide as he was tall...

"Bloody hell! Stay close we need to get in there."

Approaching a large door he did what he heard the leader of Shadow group do, he pulled out a recorder and pushed play. A strange hissing sound came from the small speaker and the stone of the wall started to move like vault bars; large hunks of stone pulled away and the door rolled to the side.

Quietly he stepped into what he assumed was an entrance chamber with large pillars holding up the ceiling some thirty feet above his head. Blue torches circled the room giving it an eerie glow. Along the far wall was a large stone face carved into the wall, the face of a man with a beard and mustache reaching from floor to ceiling. Just in front of it was a large pool. Goblin bodies littered the ground, among them stood a small redheaded figure, laughing.

He slowly moved to one of the side pillars and began working his way down toward where the figure stood. Checking the bodies nearby as he went - so far only one was alive and he was unconscious and probably would not last long judging by the damage to his chest - Harry moved on.

"Stupid Goblins did you believe that you could possibly withstand the power of the heir of Salazar Slytherin? The pet he left here alone is worth more than your kingdom of pathetic creatures! Now because of you I will need to begin my conquest a little early, as I'm sure more of your pathetic kind are on the way! Hogwarts will be mine this very night and any who stand in my way will die by my hand and my will as the heir of Slytherin, Lord Voldemort."

Speaking away from the wall to give Gosheven a distraction to move behind her, Harry asked, "Lord Voldemort? He's been missing for over thirteen years, and you don't look that old. Who are you his daughter?"

"What's this, a goblin my pet did not kill? No matter, I'll kill you myself before he returns from killing the last of your little friends." A bright green light slashed against the pillar Harry hid behind. "You have no wand goblin… You cannot defeat me." A piece of the pillar shattered as a pulse of light hit it. "Step out little goblin, I'll make your death quick!"

Reaching into the goblin's tactical vest Harry pulled loose a cylinder, pulled the pin, counted quietly then tossed it around the corner.

"More of your toys goblin? They will no more-"The flash-bang erupted in a flash of light and sound that drowned everything.

As the figure screamed Gosheven hit it from behind and Harry charged from the front. A stunned look came over her face as Harry's fist descended. "Who said I was a goblin?"

A few seconds later and a couple of zip ties and Harry was looking at the contents of his captive's pockets, a wand, an old diary and nine knuts...

"What the hell is going on here?" he asked looking down at the unconscious form of Ginny Weasley.

Then hell's own serpent exploded from the water.

As it reared back, its head was easily twenty feet into the air; it was wider than a car and its skin was the color of the stone in the room, its fangs longer than his arm. Grabbing the girl he ran, throwing her in an alcove he turned to see Gosheven attack the monster, his body flared with magic as they made contact. Dropping to his knees Harry knew something was wrong, his magic was being pulled into the Spirit animal at an alarming rate making him feel slow and exhausted. He watched as the cougar destroyed the eyes of the creature and was batted by it across the floor and with a final flash the cougar was no more.

The creature thrashed around smashing into the pillars knocking great pieces from them and shaking the walls, its great tongue writhing in the air. Slowing it turned its head toward Harry extending its tongue again, tasting the air. It reared back and struck.

Harry rolled to the side as the head passed and scrambled to a goblin body, where he undid the tactical harness and pulled it loose. Gathering his feet under him he ran.

He moved toward the water tugging on the tactical vest and pulled a pair of grenades from the pockets, pulled the pins and threw them into the room.

The first was a standard baseball grenade but the other was a teargas canister. Just as the water covered him he heard a loud thud as the grenade exploded. Surfacing he could see the monster flailing its tongue around trying to get his scent again.

Harry quietly moved to the shallow area toward the statue, and climbed behind part of the carving. He pulled out his small first aid kit and unrolled it. Pulling loose a few plastic cases he flipped two open. Out of the first he pulled loose a pen-looking device, turned the dial on the end to its maximum and stabbed the needle into his leg. He knew what he had done was foolhardy but without the boost of adrenalin he was not sure he could even move.

He then heard more of the guttural hissing and the serpent moved toward him much faster than he would have thought possible for something so large. He moved quickly to a side alcove he hoped was out of the line of view of the girl, he could hear the serpent moving closer as his heart hammered in his chest. Turning with his back against the wall he watched as the monster struck, smashing its head against the lower roof in the alcove its mouth gaping open. Harry struck, slamming the magical blade up through the soft palate of the serpent through a venom sack and into its brain. Its body thrashed wildly for a few moments then slowed to a stop.

He walked around the carcass into the sight of the young redhead, who was now standing free of her bonds. "Potter, oh yes I know who you are. The great Harry Potter. How did you defeat the most powerful wizard in the world? How did you survive and I end up being destroyed?"

"You? If you are this powerful wizard why are you using this poor girl?"

"My plans may have been a little rushed by the appearance of you and these sub-creatures," she continued fingering the wand in her hand. Harry's hand dropped to his side as he felt for his missing wand, he knew his custom wand was still in his robes. "Given time I will drain her completely and become what I was again, and once again lead my world in the great works of Salazar Slytherin. Fifty years I slept in that diary only to find that you stopped my magnificent work."

"When I opened the chamber the first time that oaf Hagrid was blamed, and afterwards I was watched too closely by that muggle loving fool Dumbledore. Only he seemed to believe that the oaf did not do it. So I created the diary so I could lead another in the continuation of my ancestor's great work."

"And then there was poor Ginny. The boy she has dreamt of since her mother started reading the stories to her, broke their betrothal. Even if she had only heard of it recently, it pushed her into a deep depression, so once she started writing to me it was easy to manipulate her, to use her."

Harry stumbled forward and dropped to his knees. "Apparently, my pet did infect you with its venom. Amazing isn't it how quickly the venom of a basilisk gets into your blood, anything it is introduced to it will destroy." Harry looked up at her then down at the blade coated in venom. "While I'm not sure how you destroyed its eyes, I must applaud your efforts. Removing the weapon that would have allowed it to kill you with just a look is an amazing feat. I would say that it will only be a few minutes and you will be dead, then I will let them think that you saved me and by the end of the year, Tom Marvolo Riddle will be Lord Voldemort once again. In a brand new body."

Harry moved his hand as it trembled at his side and pulled out the diary. "Not without this."

"You have no way to destroy it, even with your wand it would be impossible for you."

Tossing the diary on the ground Harry rose onto his knees. "Oh yeah? How about a blade coated in Venom?" stabbing down in a vicious stroke piercing the small book.

Ink bled from the book and an ear piercing scream exploded from both the girl and the book. Pulling the sword loose he stabbed again and there was a blinding flash of light as Harry collapsed unconscious next to a small redheaded girl that was sleeping soundly for the first time in months.


	37. Chapter 38

**CHAPTER 38**

"Yes Chieftain, we have completed the investigation on both the rune-covered stones and the lineage paperwork from Dumbledore's office. The reality of what the old man has been doing is reprehensible," said the leader of the research group.

"The first step is the runes that were placed into the stones at the entrance of the castle. The entry blocks held a set of runes in a subset language… a code if you will. Not all of the runes were empowered and it took time to pull out the ones that were not used. The more one passed them the more they set into a person's psyche, and seeing as most students passed them at least twice a day for classes outside the castle, It could be very deep by the seventh year.

"The first grouping is a set of... for lack of a better term apathy runes. Exposed to them enough, people become complacent, staying within their family station and willing to live with the status quo.

"The next is a set to make those that enter loyal to the magical world and more responsive to those in power.

"This set," he said passing a photo across, "produces a distrust of anything outside of the magical.

"This set is odd, and took us the longest to figure out and determine the implications; it is to make a subject suggestible in the choice of a mate. After looking through the other paperwork from the office we were able to understand what was being attempted. He was selectively breeding the population."

Ragnarok's eyes widened, "To what end?"

"If you look closely," the goblin pointed to several pages, "you will see a pattern developing, especially with the non-magically born. The older politically powerful families are kept small and are intermarried to make for a smaller power base, while the younger families are bred for potential, to be bred into the elite caste. With the non-magically born, the women mostly hold low paying jobs and have children unwed. We think they are kept as a form of breeding stock. The children are bred into the system, marrying into the younger families just enough to hold off problems with inbreeding. As for the men… we don't know. Within a few weeks or months they disappear.

"If an individual is above a certain threshold, either in sheer magical ability or being sufficiently strong minded, the rune exposure will affect them less. Strangely," he said with a sarcastic tone, "those tended to pass away, or lose a spouse and never remarry.

"A lot of the disappearances were hidden by the wars, but the numbers never seemed to follow what the projections were, till young Gratsnap made an off the cuff remark about the massive reduction in population looking like a culling of the herd, to make the magical world harder to find.

"Using that as a new starting place, we went over things again; it was a culling. Only instead of keeping the strongest the weaker survived and gained power in the world, while the more powerful families were systematically destroyed till only the very last of them exist. Then on the other side it seems that the strongest of non-magic born disappear, for what reason is unclear."

"How many non-magical born students are there?" asked Ragnarok.

"From our estimations, as we only have solid numbers from Hogwarts we had to go through the exchanges of pounds to galleons, 72 out of 685 students at Hogwarts are from wholly non-magical families. We estimate out of 2500 students between all schools almost 700 are from non-magical families. Around 100 graduate each year, most with their Owls at age 15 or so, plus the few that were chosen for Hogwarts, around ten. They are the first to disappear.

"We suspect that similar runes are in place at other schools, and perhaps elsewhere as a kind of 'booster'. Sir, that is not the most troubling thing... The runes... they are old. Very old. Dumbledore did not place them there, he may have improved on them, but they have been in place for many years."

"Very well, I will need to speak with our allies as soon as possible." The goblin nodded to his chief and quietly left the room as Ragnarok's mind raced.

'To do this to their own people… but why? Who gains out of this?'

* * *

><p>James had become a man that took great pleasure in the small things in life, and it had been a fine day with Terry. They had had a wonderfully relaxing evening, a great dinner, a good wine, and a little dancing. After all he had been through, all that he had done, this and the knowledge of their children and surprisingly grandchildren, he found that they, those few people, gave more meaning and happiness than he ever thought possible. Especially when he thought he had lost this chance with Tracy.<p>

Driving home with a beautiful woman's hand in his, all was right with the world.

When a red light began to flash on his dashboard, he stared at it with a stunned silence, it was the one piece of equipment that he had prayed would never be used. One that he knew he had precious little he could do about in the near future, he could only pray that someone could get there fast.

Harry's emergency beacon had been activated. He released Terry's hand and began to push the Jaguar to its limits as he raced toward London.

"Terry, pick up the phone and dial 007001 and hold the handset for me."

"James?" she asked as she picked up the handset and dialed. "What's wrong? Did something happen? Are we in trouble?" She looked over her shoulder and out the back window to see if anyone was pursuing them, while listening for the call to connect.

"Not us, Harry. His distress beacon has been triggered."

"Good evening, Universal Exports. Our hours are..." came over the earpiece.

"Day code: Lemon, Seawater, Junction. Operator code: d6hf0. Call Sign: Predator."

"Verifying… Set encryption on my mark." James's hand hovered over the button. "3..2..1.. Mark."

"Predator, this is operator 534, state your code."

"Strider down."

"Verifying… I'm showing an emergency beacon activation. Gridpoint, NH10038227. Latitude, 57.79. Longitude, -5.19614. Declaration of an emergency has been verified, opening procedure for response to beacon number 085743. Activation verified… +3 minutes, response arrival estimated 2 hours. Predator, you are to stand fast. You will be notified as soon as possible. Understood?"

"Understood," he said as they hung up. "Like hell!" He swung the heavy machine through traffic and finally into an alley. Touching a hidden stud in the center console he sped up and slammed into the wall at the dead end of the alley.

* * *

><p>He looked out over the parade ground at the rising sun, absently rubbing the slightly sore knuckles of his right hand. Two days was all he had left in <strong>S<strong>port **A**nd **S**ocial, and here he sat in the brig.

He sighed and set his head back against the wall as he looked around the room. As one of those yanks said, 'a friend is someone who will come bail you out; a real friend will be in with you'; he smiled for every single member of his team was asleep in this and the surrounding cells.

It had been quite the party, they had spent the last three weeks bringing his replacement up to speed, and for the last week they had been cross-training with those Yank Marines. Last night was to be the farewell bash for both them and himself, and it was... till the contests started.

He wasn't sure where or when the rivalry had bled over, or who threw the first punch but his boys gave as good as they got. 'And that Marine Gunny had an unbelievably hard punch,' he chuckled to himself as he rubbed his jaw, 'but he went down in the end.'

He heard the key rattle in the lock and the large iron door creak as it opened, many of the men flinched at the sound in their sleep as the birth of their hangovers began.

A large man entered and started scanning the cells, looking for someone. His uniform was crisp, not a thing was out of place, not even a single scuff on his shoe. It all screamed one thing to him, this was a desk warrior. One who fought a valiant battle with two of the things he hated the most, the brass and paperwork.

That job brought about one of two types of people, the ass kissers; those who lived their lives to say yes and cater to the needs of the brass and aspire to be them in the future; or the much more rare, the ass kickers; the ones who got the job done regardless.

He supposed they both had their uses, especially when dealing with mountains of paperwork, but the second was much easier to work with.

"Captain David Granger?" Slowly he stood.

"Yes."

"Release him, Major General Gram wants to see you. Come with me." He was led from the building and up to a waiting staff car.

Opening the door he peered inside to see the Major General; snapping to attention he said, "Sir!"

"Get in Captain." He did as instructed. "Heard you had a spot of trouble last night."

"No trouble Sir. Spirited discussions."

"Ahh... Be that as it may, that is not what I need to see you about." The Major General reached to his side and handed David a folder. "You have been reassigned, effective immediately."

"Sir, that seems to be a waste, I muster out in two days. My twenty is in, mandatory retirement from the team, and I'm no paper pusher."

"Not according to those David. You have been transferred to someplace that has need of your Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW) training, and this order comes from upstream, the Ministry of Defense."

"All leave canceled, all other orders rescinded."

"And my team?"

"They are in good hands, you trained him yourself. You are to report at 8:00 AM Monday, room 216 in the main building of the Ministry of Defense, Whitehall."

"As for your... discussion last night, did you win or lose?"

"Sir, for my team there is no lose."

"Then consider yourself chastised. It has been an honor having served with you Captain," he said shaking David's hand.

"It was an honor to serve with you Sir."

"Now go pack up, and get off my base before the Marine Commander gets here. With you gone I can blame it on someone not in my command any longer."

Stepping out of the car David turned and saluted, "Sir, yes Sir!"

Returning the salute and pulling the door closed his ex-Commander said, "Good luck soldier."


	38. Chapter 39

**CHAPTER 39**

James threaded his way down the passageway that was concealed by the false end of the alley as Terry's scream of panic faded. She glanced behind them to see the passage reseal.

"James, if we weren't so concerned about our son I would say you enjoyed that! Do it again and you will pay!" she said smacking him on the shoulder.

Sliding to a stop in what looked like a small parking area the car was surrounded by goblins with their weapons drawn.

"We need to see Ragnarok immediately!" said James stepping from the car.

"You barge into…"

"You will shut your mouth youngling!" yelled an older goblin. "Please, overlook his indiscretion Mr. Bond. It seems someone did not read all of the paperwork needed for this post," he said glaring at the young guards. "If they had they would have seen the coded entrance beacon and known both of your faces. I assure you it WILL NOT HAPPEN A SECOND TIME!" turning his ire at the guards.

"You said you needed to see the chieftain? My second in command will escort you to his office."

"I also need Madam Bones here as quickly as possible, it is an emergency."

"Understood, she will be here shortly."

"James?" asked Terry. "You do have a plan to get our son?"

"I'm working on it," he replied as they moved down the hall.

Less than thirty minutes later Amelia was flooing into the office of Headmistress McGonagall, still running the quickly laid out plan in her head as the green flames pulsed around her. A group of shadow warriors was on its way already, as requested by Harry earlier, they had accelerated their arrival time and would be there well before she arrived.

Her job was simple, first she was to be a distraction as the warriors responded to the emergency beacon and retrieved Harry. Second she was to use the excuse of a family emergency to remove Harry or the Harry replacement from Hogwarts; if he was injured the warriors would move the real Harry.

Stepping from the floo Amelia was greeted by the stern face of her old friend, along with the heads of the houses. "Amelia, has something happened?"

"Yes Minnie, I need to speak with Harry as soon as possible, James contacted me; there has been a family emergency and he is needed at home as soon as possible. Can you have him brought down, and his things as well?"

The headmistress looked nervous. "I hope it is nothing too serious?"

"James didn't go into specifics, but he did say they needed to be on the way to his grandfather's as soon as they could."

"I see… Unfortunately it may be a while till Harry will be able to go." She held up her hand in a stopping gesture before Amelia could voice her question. "I'm not saying that you cannot see him, but the castle is on lock down and only myself the heads and a few others can be in the halls at this time.

"As you remember," she continued, "the castle was completely gone through by curse breakers and security specialists. They found that there was one area that could not be entered at the time, we believe it to be the fabled chamber of secrets, Slytherin's personal chamber. Precautions were then put in place, first to guard in case of it being a danger, and second to secure the students if something were to happen.

"This evening the chamber was opened. The goblins that were placed here as guards per the contract with Gringotts immediately secured it and notified us. The new security features that were put in place have been activated, all but one of the students have been accounted for in their dormitories and access to them can only be had by the heads or myself, and there must be at least two of us present to do so."

"The new system needs our wands, tests our magic signature, and a couple of other things that we were asked not to divulge. Another security team and curse breakers have arrived and will let us know something directly."

"I would like to look over this situation myself," said Amelia. "If something serious has happened, even worse to one of the students, the DMLE needs to know about it."

"Our contact, the goblin that leads the group here should be back shortly; he was going to escort the group down and return with an update. Unfortunately the contract was very specific when it stated who was in charge of security in this event, once we had checked on the students we needed to step aside."

"Yes," said Professor Sinistra. "When we found that Ms. Weasley was not in her room it was left to them to look for her!"

"Yes, and it was a good thing too," came from a voice entering the Headmaster's office. He was dressed in some form of cloth armor, dark in color, with odd pockets and pouches and a war hammer strapped across his back.

"The young Weasley was out of bounds this evening, she was found at the bottom of a long hole that was opened somehow in the second floor girl's restroom. She is being tended to now, and per contract will be…"

The goblin was interrupted as a flash of fire appeared to the side of the room, and a majestic bird settled into the corner of a bookshelf. It was a beautiful sight, only overshadowed as the golden and red bird began to trill.

"Fawkes!" Minerva shouted, as it ruffled its feathers, and the others got a better look. Each feather looked as it was spun out of fire and the purest gold. "Is Dumbledore on his way?"

Unseen to all Amelia shuddered at the name, as flashes of what she knew of the man passed in her mind.

It trilled a sharp, angry sounding note, shook its head, and ruffled its feathers again.

"Then why has he sent you here? Do you have a message for me?"

Again it shook its head.

"Then why did he send you here?"

Its head turned and it appeared to look at a spot on the floor, slowly the floor seemed to melt and ripple and a beautiful perch of gold, patterned in a flame motif began to rise from the floor. The phoenix flew to it, settled, tucked its head under a wing and promptly went to sleep.

Tuning to the others Minerva had a confused look on her face. "Why would his familiar be here if he isn't?"

A laugh rang from the goblin. "Bwahaaaaa… A phoenix… A Familiar… Bwahaaaaa…" They all looked oddly at the hysterically laughing goblin. "Oh that's rich… Silly humans... phoenixes can't be familiars… hee... they are fay! Well they are from the fay domain at any rate. They normally live in or around great magic, this place Hogwarts is on the nexus of several ley lines and then you put all the younglings leaking magic as they become adults. The phoenix feeds on the excess magic, it helps sustain it just like food does."

"But..." Minerva began, "He always… He said…" Anger filled her eyes. "He LIED! To all of us! Even when I was a student here! We all thought Fawkes was his Familiar, a sign of his greatness and his place as a defender and leader of the light."

"No," said the goblin, "that bird was probably here before this castle was built or shortly after it became a school, they tend to be protective of younglings. This place is perfect for its nature."

"Then how did he... get it to work for him?"

"…he asked?" he replied.

* * *

><p>Gartooth was impressed, that said a lot. Other than the elder Vaultbreaker he had probably seen the most. While he was not a cursebreaker he was familiar with their work, he had supplied security for most of their major work in the last twenty years. This cavern though, it was a work of art. Twisted, but a work of art none the less.<p>

But, at the moment that was not his concern. His concern was one human youngling, one that the Chieftain thought of as a precious family member. When they arrived they were shocked at what they had found; bodies and devastation.

As soon as they entered the medics began casting spells, those that were living began to glow a golden color; taking note of them the teams began to move. Three survived, but they were not sure if Bloodrunner would last the night. The others were human. One was a small female youngling with red hair, the other was Harry, who had a beautiful red and gold phoenix standing guard over him. Occasionally it would trill a beautiful calming tune, almost enough to bring a tear to the goblin's eye.

Beyond them lay what had placed the fear of a deity into them, an eighty foot long basilisk. Just the sight of it made them wonder how there were survivors. This was a story that would be sung about in the goblin homes for ages and if any survived... well they would be heroes of the highest magnitude.

Basilisks were feared, even more so than dragons. Their gaze could kill, and even if not looked at directly it could petrify a person to stone in seconds. Their poison was one of the most deadly known, had no known antidote, just a trace could kill a man. Then there was the skin, tougher than dragon and almost fully spell resistant after they reached a certain age. This one had long passed that age; they had no guess how old it was. Yet here it lay, the largest he had ever heard about by a factor of ten, dead. Both eyes destroyed and a single stab wound piercing up through the mouth into the brain. The goblin that did this would be held as hero till time immortal.

"Captain Gartooth?" said the head medic.

"Yes."

"Young Harry is stable but magically and physically exhausted. He will need someone more familiar with the things he injected to know if there was damage from them and how it can be corrected."

"What did he use?"

"Full auto injection pens of adrenalin, and a broad spectrum anti-venom. His heart rate is still elevated."

"Any other injuries?"

"Something pierced his right arm, a few inches above his wrist, it looks inflamed."

"Very well, keep me informed. Prepare all three for transport, and put a call in for medical support on arrival."

"We will be taking the girl as well?"

"Yes, it is unknown why she is here and it is within our rights per the contract to hold her for questioning. We will inform the headmistress that she was out of bounds and within a curse breaking area and will need observation for a few days because of her crossing the wardlines. Hopefully Bloodrunner and Harry can shed some light on this situation."

"Cursebreaker Tombsmasher, gather everything up quickly. If it can be moved get it ready for transport, I want to be able to show the staff here an empty room in an hour. After that prepare it to be sealed off, we will have a better look when no younglings are here. Medical teams prepare to move out as soon as your patients are able to be moved."

A rousing cry of "Sir!" came from the goblins.


	39. Chapter 40

**CHAPTER 40**

_Pain_.

Yes that was the word that the thing in the darkness had been searching for. Searing, unadulterated, PAIN!

A quiet gasp escaped the young man's lips as his eyes fluttered, and a single tear slowly escaped his eye and began a slow trip down the side of his face and onto his pillow.

His muscles were on fire! While his blood felt ice cold in his veins, especially on his left side, that was only increasing the anguish. His chest felt tight, and restricted… and that beeping! It rattled around in his head like a pinball. With each ping sending flashes of light and pain through his mind, that alone felt as if it threatened his sanity.

The ever present beeping seemed to grow in volume and brilliance, as well as increase in pace. He wanted to cry out but only a gurgle came, rawness clutched at his throat.

Suddenly there was more light passing through his still closed eyes, and loud disjointed sounds.

"…BP..."

"… ER LOSING HI..."

And finally blissful silence, and darkness.

* * *

><p>Morning found Hogwarts with a fresh covering of snow, and a refreshing crispness in the air. It was the last day before the trip home for the holidays. Students' voices rang out with laughter as the students passed through the halls without a care, but for a few, who were gathering to find out what had happened to one of their number.<p>

Seeing them enter the Great Hall and looking around the Headmistress sighed and motioned to them as she rose from the head table and moved around the end to meet them.

"Good morning," she smiled, but they could see the tired look in her eyes. "I would imagine that you are all looking for Mr. Bond?"

"Yes," they answered.

"I'm sorry to say that Mr. Bond has had a family emergency and returned home early this morning. He wishes all his friends a Happy Christmas, and hopes to be in contact before the holiday is over. And no," she said looking at Hermione, "I do not know what exactly the emergency is, but it is important enough for his father to insist on him being home as soon as possible. Now go enjoy your breakfast, I have an announcement at the end of service, so you'll need to be quick."

"Ms. Bones if I could have a further moment? Please make her a plate Ms. Abbott." With Hannah nodding her head they moved away.

"Ms. Bo... Susan," the Headmistress said kneeling down, "I have a message for you from your aunt and a letter." Pulling an envelope from her robes she handed it to the girl. "Some things have happened and Amelia is going to need to work over the holidays. She knows it is sudden but seeing as the Abbotts will be away this year she was wondering if you would stay here this year, or if there was someone else you would feel comfortable staying with?"

A sad look came over her face, but it was quickly replaced by the famed Bones stoicism. "No, I don't think I'd feel right springing something like this on anyone, having a sudden houseguest could cause problems."

"Very well, you will be a welcome addition to those of us who will be here for the Holiday. The day before Christmas will be a special Hogsmeade day and your aunt has given her permission for you to go with the group of first and second years that will be accompanied by staff to town; and you may call your house elf tomorrow after the train has gone to bring the gifts your aunt has at the house for you, as well as anything special you may need. Amelia did say that if she can she will be here for either Christmas Eve dinner or Boxing Day."

"Thank you Headmistress, I won't say I am not disappointed, but I understand that it comes with the job." She turned and walked away slowly unfolding her letter as she did.

Smiling to herself, the Headmistress stood and turned almost walking over a young petite blond with large blue eyes.

"Ms. Lovegood?" The blond moved as if in slow motion.

"He... Ha..." A pained look crossed her face; shaking it off, she said, "Oh, Headmistress! I'm afraid that I too will be staying for the holidays…the plans for the break have been unavoidably altered, I hope that won't be a problem?"

"No Ms. Lovegood, the more the merrier. I hope there is no problem with Mr. Lovegood?"

"No," she said the dreamy look returning to her. "Why would there be?" She then turned and skipped away, but unseen tears trickled down her face.

Walking to the podium in front of the staff table Minerva focused on the rune placed on it for voice amplification. Activating it she said, "Good morning! May I have your attention for a couple of brief announcements?"

After the shuffling had died down she continued. "I am sorry to report the injury of a student last night." A low rumble filled the hall but quickly died down. "It was posted in the Gryffindor common room this morning, but we feel that it is important that all of you hear this."

"The student was injured while out after curfew, and was very lucky that someone happened upon the accident before it became life threatening. Please let this be a warning, do not venture out after hours. If something were to happen it could be hours till you are found, even if it happened on the Grand Staircase. A thirty point deduction will be made from Gryffindor, for the violation. If there is a need please notify a faculty member and we will try to help. Nothing you may have left behind nor any adventure is worth the risk to your safety."

"On a different note, there will be no office hours today for either Nick or Penny," she said. "They had travel arrangements that required them to leave a day early. Thank you, and see you all tonight for the Holiday feast!"

Neville looked down the table, "Who do you think was injured? You don't think it could have been Harry?"

"No," Hermione answered, "We can be sure that the Headmistress would not cover for Harry with us, but I do see a decided lack of ginger hair at the table this morning. Probably one of the twins trying to do some stupid prank, and the others are with them."

"Yeah, you're probably right. I just hope they learned their lesson and they're not hurt too bad." All nodding they went back to their meal.

* * *

><p>Not long after breakfast found the Headmistress, her deputy and the house heads standing with the goblin known as Vaultbreaker in the girl's bathroom on the second floor, all of them tired but anxious to see the fabled Chamber of Secrets.<p>

"Master Cursebreaker," said the Headmistress.

"Headmistress, ladies, gentlemen, this way." Walking toward the sinks he stepped down into a set of stairs that had been hidden. "We are not sure as of yet how young Ms. Weasley opened the passage, but once it was we were able to reset the passage entrance to open as if it were one of the dormitories on lockdown. That will keep the curious out if the entrance is ever discovered. Unfortunately it was her opening it that caused her injury, the stairs are on a separate set of commands and it was quite a fall down to the chamber below," he said, leading the group downward till they were standing in the entrance chamber.

"This is the first of three rooms. The door," he said pointing at the circular door with a snake motif, where the bodies of the snakes formed bolts holding it in place, "has a lot in common with a vault door at Gringotts, it does not have all of the safety features but construction-wise it is as sturdy. The walls around it have also been fortified to match. Once sealed it would be nearly impregnable, again it has been reset to react as the entrances to the dormitories." He opened the door and stepped inside.

"We were impressed with the artistry shown in the creation of this room, although he did seem to go overboard with the snakes and was a little narcissistic," he said gesturing at the large stone face at the far end of the room. "It is a little over twice the size of your Great Hall. The torches are self sustaining, and we will be changing the light given off from them to a more 'normal' color rather than the blue hue."

"The water is fresh and is fed by an ingenious system from an underground spring, the same one that feeds the lake. Any guesses where the final room is located?" he asked the group that was now standing in the entrance with a shocked look on their faces.

"All this was hidden here? I found some notes that stated that the chamber had been opened once before, purposely, and a death was reported around the same time. She is a ghost here, Myrtle, she tends to haunt the bathroom upstairs. Was there something dangerous here?"

"We found a few animal bones, there is an outside entrance accessible in the ante-chamber, which had been left open. What we found has been reported to the Ministry, specifically the Control of Magical Creatures Department. There is a quite large colony of Acromantula, giant spiders not too far from the entrance. They have been unchecked for some time. Other than that, no it is deserted."

"The final room is accessed through here," he said leading the group through the vast chamber to the statue. The same procedure will open this entrance." They all almost laughed as the mouth slid open and the passage beyond was exposed. "We believe it was some form of lair for a creature, but it is long since gone. The passage outside has been added to the castle wards and it has been given the same lockdown capabilities. Now, may we adjourn to your office Headmistress? There is the final paperwork to complete, then you may reset the wardstone to remove goblin access."

"What of Ms. Weasley?"

"Her family is with her as you know, and her injuries while serious do not seem to be life threatening. However…" He paused as if looking for the correct words. "She may not be back at Hogwarts at the beginning of term."

Shocked looks came from the group. "There seems to have been some memory loss. We do not know if it was from the fall or shock at this time. As per the proviso in the contract, a student harmed because of incomplete service is our responsibility. We told you and your staff that it was safe."

"How bad is the memory loss?" asked the Headmistress.

"She has bits and pieces of her arrival and the first month or so. If you could provide a copy of the curriculum for her it would be much appreciated, we will be having tutors try to have her up to speed as soon as possible."

"We could help her here, her friends could help," said Professor Sinistra.

"Once she has a firm grounding that may be possible, the healers that have taken her case think she will need some time to adjust and that the adjustment will be quickest with her family." The professor nodded and they walked toward the exit.

* * *

><p>The man walked away from the train station. It was a long walk to the small cottage he rented here on the outskirts of Cardiff, but it suited his purpose. He adjusted the duffel bag that held his uniform and a book or two into a more comfortable position and settled in for his walk.<p>

The air was brisk and clean on this morning, lights were just starting to appear in the homes that he passed as people started their day. Many of them, he believed, were preparing to spend time with family because today was Christmas Eve.

Pushing those thoughts aside he shifted his attention to the new colors beginning to fill the world as the sun rose. He had to admit it was beautiful. He walked on.

Arriving home he stood for a moment, "something…" Shaking his head he unlocked the door.

"Hello Albus," he said entering, not looking at the man.

"Good morning Remus, I hope you are well this morning," said the old man sitting at the table sipping his tea, his eyes twinkling as if laughing at some unknown joke.

"As well as I can be. Have you seen him?" Finally looking closely at the man, a small grin crossed his lips. "Lose your beard someplace?"

"Times change, old friend." His wand tip appeared from beyond the table and Remus Lupin heard the last word as his mind slipped away from him. "_Imperio_!"


	40. Chapter 41

**CHAPTER 41**

Sunlight beat down on Harry's skin and the heat was oppressive. Rolling tan vistas ran as far as he could see in any direction, but somehow he knew that there was a cliff face down to the south, and fresh sweet water to the west.

In front of him stood a tree, but it looked unlike any other tree he had ever seen. It wasn't overly tall, just about twice his height, and had many thick braches that came off the main trunk in pairs. The limbs twisted up quickly to the sky as if desperate to reach it. Its leaves were long spines and the only splash of green in the area.

Drums could be heard from the distance, along with bells and chanting. He stood very still and listened to the hypnotic sound.

Confusion gripped him, how did he get here?

"Are you prepared kit?" asked a voice he knew almost as well as any in his strange family as he had spent a minimum of two months a year here for as long as he could remember.

He heard himself answer, "I am Elder."

"Very well, you have completed the fasting and cleansing, enter freely the circle. It is time."

Try as he might he did not seem to be able to stop.

Harry stepped into the circle, as did two others one from his left and one from his right. Each was dressed in the pelts and colors of beasts sacred to the people of this land, the Coyote and the Raven. He felt the bindings wrap around his arms then his feet, slowly he was laid out on the hard warm ground arms wide and everything pulled tight. He could hear the spikes holding his bindings being pounded into the earth in rhythm with the drums; slowly even his heartbeat became one with that sound.

He wanted to cry out, scream for them to stop. He did not think he could do this again.

The elders' chant began, along with it came pain, his muscles strained at the bindings and he could feel them biting into his flesh. He watched as the Elder moved into view, and began to mark him. The ink was made from plants scattered here near the Elder's home, it was red in color, and it burned. Oh how it burned. Each stroke of the feather felt as if molten lead had been placed there; Harry focused on the restraints and used the pain he was feeling to pull harder.

The agony went on. The tempo of the drums and chanting slowly increased, as the Elder moved on and began making intricate patterns on the ground around Harry with colored sand.

It grew late into the day, till abruptly the chanting broke and the Elder stepped away, and out of the circle.

Just as he cleared the circle a flash of magic snapped into place with a loud crash of lightning, and for the first time Harry screamed.

The unbridled fury of nature ran through his body, searching, burning. His voice cracked, and he began to scream again as the second bolt struck.

Slowly a black shadow began to drift upwards encased in a ball of lightning. With a final strike of lightning it separated from Harry's now smoldering body. It flew toward the oddly shaped tree and was deposited there with a crash of thunder.

Moving quickly Coyote and Raven plunged onyx daggers through the shadow and into the tree, they were followed almost immediately by the Elder chanting and plunging a bone dagger forward sinking it deeply into the surface, as rain began to fall.

"Harry? Harry? Can you hear me?" came a voice from the darkness, a voice he knew but could not place calling to him. It pulled him away from the pain of the past to the here and now.

Slowly his eyes opened, standing above him was one of his new professors. His eyes sparkled as a smile grew on his face. "Good. Don't try to talk, you are still on the ventilator. Now, can you understand me?"

Harry could feel the thing wrapped around his head, and feel the tube that ran down his throat with his tongue, so with what he hoped was a quizzical look on his face he nodded.

"Excellent, you just lie there still and I will find your parents and the doctors."

"You should be up and around in a few days," said another familiar voice, that of Penny.

"You badly depleted your core, and with the addition of the anti-venom and adrenalin, not to mention the Basilisk venom in your system… well you gave everyone quite a fright."

A stunned Harry just looked at her.

The door burst open and both James and Terry were at his side one openly weeping the other looking relieved.

"Harry!" Terry cried as she lifted his hand to her heart. "Please don't do something like that again."

Harry looked at her and slowly nodded; even past the ventilator mouth-piece a grin could be seen.

"I know that look young man, that's the 'till the next time' look. So much like your father," she said stroking his hair.

"Harry," James said leaning close, and speaking quietly. "I never understood what it felt like to worry for family…" He hesitated. "It is your choice, but no one woul…" Harry shook his head with determination and fire in his eyes. "Ok, I… we understand," he said taking Terry's other hand in his.

"Oh, by the way, Merry Christmas Harry!"

* * *

><p>It was only a few days and Harry was getting around well enough to sit in on the first discussion of the Second World in the New Year.<p>

"So, Harry, how are you feeling?"

"Better, thank you Mr. Ragnarok. Did any of the goblins survive?"

"No, but the way that they met their fate was honorable, they will be well remembered."

"I jus…"

"Harry," M said stepping closer and placing a soft hand on his shoulder. "You can't blame yourself. You did a job far beyond what anyone expected of you. It nearly cost you your life." She smiled at him, but the knot stayed in his stomach.

"We got your medical report back, you are a very lucky young man," she said as she moved behind her desk. "Severe magical exhaustion, adrenalin overdose, anti-venom toxicity, venom: type unknown (Basilisk according to the goblins and the Flamels), unknown compound (Phoenix tears, again according to the goblins and the Flamels), various other injuries. According to the Flamels, and the goblins are bowing to their deductive skills, the anti-venom and Phoenix tears would have healed you if not for your magical depletion, but your core was drained to the point of collapse.

"Your body was tearing itself apart. When you arrived, the goblin healer was feeding you something called..." she paused, thumbing through the report, "a blood replenishing potion, and letting your blood flow out a cut they had made to try and flush your system. This was further depleting your core, as your magic is one of the things that helps a potion work.

"You were immediately started on transfusions. When the Flamels arrived they added some of their own alchemical creations to the mix. Two days later you awoke. You are a lucky young man."

"Yes ma'am."

"Harry, although I think I know, how was the Basilisk killed?" asked Ragnarok.

"The sword of Gryffindor," he said calling it to his hand, still covered in ichor. "Well that's disgusting."

"Do not touch the vitreous substance youngling, and clean your hands carefully, the sword will need to be cleaned." He smiled broadly. "The blade is goblin made M, it is one of a kind and can only be called to the hand of the true heir of the sword. Goblin blades also have another property, whenever one comes in contact with something that can… add to its ability it is absorbed. As this one has done with the venom."

"Do you mean that he now has instant access to a sword that is permanently poisoned with Basilisk venom?"

"Yes, the most dangerous venom on the planet. Harry I will have a blade made that matches it for you to practice with. If you nicked yourself it could well kill you."

"And the girl, Ginny Weasley?" asked Harry.

"She is receiving help," said Ragnarok. "She does not remember a lot of what happened, she describes it as flashes of memories, but we are concerned by the possession. We have some of our best helping her and she will return to school as soon as they deem possible. We have gone with the story that she accidently found a way to open the chamber and the fall caused her injuries." He chuckled lightly, "Although you may have some problems with her, she is adamant in the belief that you saved her, and we could not dissuade her from this fact as she had your wand when she awoke."

Harry looked at the goblin for a long moment. "She had it when I destroyed the book, she was going to use it against me..."

"And when my people cleaned up the area they assumed it was hers and..." Ragnarok started

"...it was packed with her effects," Harry continued.

"She recognized it immediately, and hasn't let it go. She insists that she returns it personally to you. You will need to watch her and if any signs appear that become worrying let us know. We will continue to extend help as long as we can."

"As for the beast, my young hero!" Harry groaned at the thought; Ragnarok's grin grew wider. "What do you wish to do with the oldest and largest ever recorded Basilisk?"

"Is it useful for something?"

"O... most definitely," the goblin Chieftain answered. "A Basilisk is rarely found, and harder to raise in captivity than a dragon. Never had one been seen larger than... say ten to fifteen meters. This one however outstretched that by a factor of twelve. It was very old, probably as old as Hogwarts itself, and the ingredients that can be harvested from them grow in potency as the age increases. It is quite valuable."

"What would you suggest?" Harry asked, his mind flashing to the first time he offered to help a goblin injured in his training. It had taken a week to figure out that he had insulted the goblins, as if saying they could not care for their own clansmen, and another week to figure out how to apologize correctly.

A grin once again crossed the goblin's face. "I know what your first thought was, my young friend. The families of the goblins that perished in the battle are well looked after, and songs of their struggle are already being sung. The beast is yours according to tradition and wizard law, as you killed it."

"I'm not really sure... sell it? Find a way to pass some on to the Weasley family. Samples as needed to Q branch, keep anything that you think is helpful. We can discuss details at a later time."

"There was one detail that I left out of the report I handed in." M looked at Harry with a little anger. "I felt it should not be written down and as few people as possible should know of it. As you read, this was the second time I have confronted a possession by Voldemort recently." Nods came from the small group gathered. "This time I gathered some badly needed intelligence. Ragnarok do you have the object I asked for?" The goblin handed him a small package.

"Unlike the... wraith, that possessed Quirrell last year, this…" he unwrapped and tossed on the table a book with a large stab mark in it, "tells us more than we ever knew about that monster. His real name, Tom Marvolo Riddle. With this we may begin to unravel some of this mess."

Amelia spoke next, "With the information that the Goblin Nation and I have found we have deduced that Dumbledore and persons unknown before him have been guiding the British magical world, its colonies, and their allies in the ICW to push the magical governments into fewer and fewer hands.

"Here it seems to have been done through the 'Pureblood' agenda; elsewhere through more direct means.

"With the possible death of Dumbledore we have many questions but no answers yet as to why."

"How likely is it that he survived?" asked James.

"I don't know. The destruction was catastrophic, and the bodies are impossible to identify. As of now I consider him missing but not deceased."

"Then Harry's going to need help inside Hogwarts," replied James.

"The Flamels have agreed to keep their positions within the castle as professors. I think they quite enjoy teaching."

"That's all well and good, but I'd feel better if he had someone who can help watch his back, that is closer than a professor."

Amelia had a pondering look on her face, as Harry spoke. "I'd ask one of the group but none of them are ready. Neville is almost ready to come and ask for physical training, he's already dropping hints about wanting to be able to do some of the athletic things I do."

"I'm still uncomfortable with teaching..." started Amelia.

"It is just physical training, as they come to me I'll offer it. I still don't know that much in the way of magical combat. Conditioning and some martial arts that's all." Amelia nodded her head.

"As for someone to help watch Harry's back I think I know just the person," she said with a smile looking at Harry. "And we can count on her loyalty to Lord Black."


	41. Chapter 42

Still own nothing, still no beta…

Have fun!

**CHAPTER 42**

David Granger sat at the breakfast table of his brother's house and sipped his coffee, and thought to himself it was amazing how much his plans had changed. It had just been a short time ago that he thought the chapter of his life involving the government had come to a close, but here he was with a new job.

The briefing at Whitehall had turned out to be more of an interview than and briefing, hours of hypothetical scenarios on small group tactics, odd movement patterns, security arrangements. Most of it dealing with a guerilla style of warfare, hit and run, and terrorist attacks.

It was a style he was familiar with, he had seen it in the conflict with the IRA (Irish Republican Army) Attacks, and he had even seen some of the odd movement patterns during the Falklands. As a matter of course he had studied other attacks as well.

After a day of these tests, psyche and psychical evaluations, the powers that be were evidently pleased and he had found himself sitting across from a severe looking woman that was only identified by the title 'director'.

She outlined to him a growing threat to the national government from a mostly unknown force, one that had done damage to them the past, and that passed the blame on to others (and adding to the troubles of the already strained truce with the Irish). The group had been damaged in the fall of 1981 when an attack went badly for them, one their leader was personally involved with. He was thought killed. However, recently there have been confirmed sightings of the individual, and it is expected that he will try to begin the campaign again.

He was then told of a small taskforce charged with watching and preparing for them, and was asked to lend his expertise to the group.

He immediately accepted.

After his transfer was recorded, he was led to a meeting with the 'director' and, to his surprise, the Minister of Defense.

"Captain David Lee Granger?" Asked the Minister.

"Yes Sir!" he replied, snapping to a salute.

"At ease Granger. As of this moment you are no longer a member of the military, consider yourself retired and mustered out with full honors, so no need for such formalities."

A questioning look came over his face as he dropped from attention. "Sir? I was under the impression that I was to be on loan for this project."

"No, as unorthodox as is it is, we needed you removed from any obligations within the SAS. You are now under the direct command of the Director of MI6, M." He said gesturing to the woman on his right. "Your service record will be adjusted to show a house hold accident caused small but measurable injury making you unsuitable for recall to the service. You now answer only to M and MI6 is that clear?"

"Yes Sir."

"Very good. Now," he said standing. "I'll take my leave. I think you have much to discuss."

'Did we ever!' He thought to himself, taking another sip of coffee, as his niece walked in to the kitchen a book under her arm reading what looked to be a letter, a large smile graced her lips. Even in her t-shirt and pajama pants she looked every inch the teenager she was becoming rather than the little girl he remembered.

Who would have thought his little princess could do magic?

"Morning Princess!" David said, chuckling as she about jumped out of her skin and gave him a glare, almost as good as the one her mother had perfected. "What you reading?"

She glanced down at the paper in her hand, "A letter from a friend he had to leave from school early, a family emergency. He just wanted to say he was ok, and the problem worked itself out."

"So you had to miss the ride home with your boyfriend?" he asked as she poured herself a cup of tea.

Fumbling the pot, with a blush rising to her face she replied, "H-h-he's not my boyfriend!"

"Really? Unless I miss my guess that's from… what was his name again… Herman? Harvy? H… Som.."

"Harry! Ok, his name is Harry, and he is not my boyfriend. Just a friend."

"Yea…Sure." He said hiding his smile behind, his cup.

"He's not!" she tuned her back, as shoulders sagged, and she said under her breath. "He'd never be interested in the bookworm.. the others are so much more beautiful than me."

"Hey!" he said standing and crossing the room quickly. "None of that!" Spinning her to face him. "You are a beautiful young woman! And if your mother is any indicator you'll only grow more beautiful! If he can't see that maybe he's not as great as you think he is."

Pulling her into a hug, "Anyway, your only thirteen, I doubt he's asked anyone on a date, right?" He felt her nod, "Well then, talk with your mom she may have some ideas as to how to catch your young mans eye." Then he whispered, "Just don't let your dad know and when he does ask remind him, both of us were SAS and if he hurts you…"

"Harry already saved my life.. I don't think he could ever hurt any of his friends."

He pushed her far enough away to look in her eyes, "Saved your life? How?"

She backed out of his embrace, and finished pouring her tea. She slowly told her story.

"Last year, my first year at school, a teacher… well he… he wanted to steal something the ex-headmaster was studying and let a wild animal into the school. I and a couple of friends and I were trapped by it in the girls restroom… Harry found us… and stopped the animal.. He had ran out of the great hall when he heard before anyone else even noticed we were missing."

"And where were the professors at this time?"

"Trying to organize the students, the person who let the animal in announced it in the great hall, panicking everyone. Luckly, a police officer was present on other business and was not far behind Harry."

Taking a deep breath and leaning a hip against the counter. "While, the police were searching the school we were told to report to the infirmary, and ran across the man trying to make his escape. He tried to kill us…. Harry killed him." She whispered.

He stood stock still, M had said there was an incident, but this….it had almost taken his niece away. It would have destroyed her parents. "You said ex-headmaster, I take it there were some changes?"

She smiled, "Loads, He was dismissed, the school and grounds were completely gone through by security specialist and improvements made. The old school board of governors was replaced for allowing him to study something so sought at the school, then the new board and headmistress even went through the curriculum and modified it! It's much better!"

"Good, otherwise I was going to have a talk with your parents about withdrawing you, even if it separated you and your boyfriend."

"Uncle David! He's not my boyfriend!" She yelled throwing a dishtowel at him, and turning away saying quietly, "…yet."

* * *

><p>Her office door opened and a woman entered. "Madam Bones? You wanted to see me?"<p>

"Hmmm..?" She said looking up. "I'm sorry trainee," looking at her robes. "but I thought I knew all of you on sight, but I do not recognize you."

Smiling softly the young brunet woman's face and hair began to shift, Amelia's hand moved to her wand, "Auror Trainee Nymphadora Tonks," now before her stood a woman with bubblegum pink hair, "that was… well closer to my normal form. The body type hair and everything was the same, if I don't change a few things people think I'm my aunt and they tend to hex first and ask questions later if they knew her."

"Bellatrix LeStrange, understandable, she's a nasty one. I take it they got your 'clumsy' issue strait?"

"Yes ma'am, My changes were throwing my body off, changing my center of gravity. If I'm in my base body I am less prone to it, and it is getting better. The suggest unless I'm undercover and it is necessary to stay this way."

"Excellent, I'm glad it's helping. I called you here to discuss a few things with you." pulling her wand she cast several charms and activated her offices secrecy wards. "Witch do you put first, your family or the Aurors?"

"Ma'am?"

"If you were forced to choose, what would you choose? The Blacks or the Aurors?"

She sat there with a stunned face, "Being an Auror has always been my dream…. but.. I… Sirius gave me his blessing and said that.."

"I think I'm approaching this wrong, The Black family needs you.. or rather, Harry does."

Tonks eyes shot up, "W.. Ho-How?"

Chuckling "You'd be surprised what I know… but in this instance I was there then he accepted his place as the scion of house Black, and I know he will be the Lord Black in a few years."

"But.. Sirius.."

"Can't have children.. Either something happened, or he never could. I'm investigating that personally after something Malfoy said in chambers, but that's here nor there. Harry has been in some tough spots the last couple of years and is in need of a unobtrusive bodyguard. With your loyalty guaranteed by your family oath and your metamorphic abilities, you are the perfect choice."

"I've still got a year of training, then two as a field trainee." She said.

"I am in a position to help… accelerate your training. As well as provide some specialized training, but it will take dedication and complete secrecy."

"Anything for Ha..Family."

Amelia smiled, "Then you will need this secrecy oath," passing a paper from inside her robes, "then you will need to withdraw from Auror training.. in disgrace."

Tonks's wand slipped from her hand and clattered to the floor.


	42. Chapter 43

I own nothing.

Enjoy!

**CHAPTER 43**

Tonks stood at the end of the lane facing the cul-de-sac that her family home was on. The tears in her eyes were real, even if the reason for them were not what the remaining members of her Aurors class believed. Her dream of the future was shattered, now she had to tell her parents.

The silver lining of this was that since it was a request from the scion of house black the truth could be told to her parents, and the family ,magic would keep it safe from anyone. She walked slowly, up the way every step seemed harder to take.

Through the door and down the hall from the foyer, toward the sound of her mother and father in the kitchen.

".. then take the loss as a.. Nymphadora? What's wrong sweetheart?" Asked her mother moving to her side, as her father moved his briefcase from the chair to have her join them at the small breakfast table.

"it's…it's.." She began as the front doorbell chimed. "That'll be Madam Bones, my bo… She said she wouldn't be far behind she'll help explain everything."

Ted nodded and gave her a quick hug, as he moved down the hall, her mother hugged her close and tried to soothe her, as the young woman's hair color cycled through dark shades, a sure sign of the poor state of her emotions.

When Ted returned it was to a heart wrenching seen, his daughter was crying freely, and her mother looked at a loss as to how to help further.

Turning to Madam Bones he had furry in his eyes. "_She_ said you could help explain this!"

"And I will Mr. Tonks. It is a rather long story, and your daughter does not know all of it yet." Moving to Tonks Amelia keeled down, "Tonks I know this wont be easy, but it is important, and when.." stopping herself she stood and began casting spells around the room, "Sorry what is said here can not go beyond these walls, please both of you read this." She said pulling a letter from inside her robes.

Andromeda Tonks took it and tuned it over, on the back was the wax seal if the scion of house Black. Slowly she broke the seal and began to read then passed it to her husband, as a flash of light burst from her in moments a flash issued from Ted as well.

"Now, Tonks listen closely when this is over everything will be set to rights, and you will have the rank you deserve."

"Then this isn't permeate?"

"No, this was just a way to take eyes off of you, and give more authenticity to your undercover assignment."

Both of the parents startled at that but one question came to Andromeda's mind, "Why was the request for Nymphadora's help not from Lord Black?"

"Well, truthfully, it all but the final word it is. Harry will be the next Lord Black, probably before he leaves Hogwarts."

"What?" Andromeda exclaimed. "Sirius is still young he'll find some one, you'll see."

A sad look crossed Amelia's face, "No. He won't Mrs. Tonks. Sirius can't have children, why that is I am personally investigating, but as soon as Sirius clears up the Black family finances he plans to pass the title on to Harry. Staying on as mentor, and advisor."

"Oh, poor Sirius. I didn't know."

"Nether did he until his stay in St. Mungos. Anyway, there are things I need to explain. The Harry is in his second year at Hogwarts, and if I were to say things have gone badly for him it would be a huge understatement."

"In his first two years he has faced several attempts on his life." Gasps came from the Tonks, "We have purposely kept it very quiet, he has been seriously injured on a few occasions. The only one that was in the open was the attack by the ex-scion of the Malfoy's."

"I am not at liberty to discuss the others but we reached an agreement that he needed a bodyguard, one that was not as far away as a professor, someone that could blend in. Ms. Tonks fits this bill better than any other could."

"As she was in Auror training, and other than her little clumsiness issue, near the top of her class she could not just drop out, too many knew she loved it and it was her dream. I needed another way for her to leave the program, and disappear from her life. I asked her to cheat on the next exam, get caught then… I am sorry but I felt it was necessary, offer herself to the instructor to look the other way."

Anger radiated from the parents, if looks could kill Amelia would have been dead on the floor.

"I understand your anger, believe me. I have raised my niece, Susan, and would never stand for what was suggested, but your daughter was given a choice. She chose to stand with the future Lord Black, and she will need your support even if it can not be shown publicly, and now no one will wonder why she has left."

The parents did not look appeased but nodded after looking in their daughters eyes and seeing it had been her choice.

"He saved our family, and this is important." Tonks said weakly.

"Tonks will be undergoing extensive training starting next week, Monday will be a complete briefing for her, from then on she will be out of contact. To get a letter to her, go to Gringotts and hand it directly to the head teller and walk away, address it to Bubblegum, nothing else. I have contracted with the goblins to use their secure delivery before. Please do not approach Scion Black about her, arrangements may be made to see her over the holidays but that is not certain. Her assignment will until the threat has been neutralized or a suitable replacement is available."

"Now I suggest that you all leave for an extended weekend, in the non-magical world. Be a family, I don't know how long it will be till you can again."

Handing a piece of paper to Tonks Amelia continued, this is will be where you need to go Monday, go in give them your name and they will get you started, and remember I said this as unorthodox training you are to do as the man says. No mater what. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Excellent. I'm sorry it had to be done this way but thank you all for your help." She stood and walked to the door as Tonks opened the paper and read, _Her Majesty's Armed Service Recruitment, Whitehall,_ and an address and room number.

"See I told you it was unorthodox, that's for your eyes only." She said over her shoulder, "Do not try to speak to anyone other than myself or those authorized, as this is a Black family secret." She spun on her heal and disappeared with a crack.

All Tonks could do was wonder a thought her father gave voice to, "What have you got yourself involved in?"

* * *

><p>The Minister of Defense, handed M a glass of bourbon over ice, "M, I was finally able to make contact with a country not listed as complicit with the Dumbledore agenda. We discovered that the main reason we have had as little success doing so is that we are listed a as members in good sanding with the IWC. Therefore seen as extremely suspicious, evidently their has been a history of.. improprieties when dealing with what we thought was kind of a wizard UN."<p>

Taking a drink he continued, "While the Secrecy Accords were signed off, it was more of an add hock agreement, one meant to protect their populous. Ours was ratified at the same time as the Doomsday book was created and the magical section hidden. We have been looked upon with suspicion from around the 1760's, when their people started retuning from the IWC conference.. different."

"Scholars started moving into politics, proposing many changes. In some countries it was caught early, others it took longer, some it seems not at all. Apparently where it was discovered and challenged the parties withdrew from the origination."

"So it was another lie hidden in a partial truth." Stated M.

"Yes, and we suspect that the acceptance of that started with whoever Dumbledore's predecessors were, the ones that placed those runes. You did say that there was a spell or potion that could force that form of reaction."

"It seems there are both. Did the contact with them go well?" She asked.

"Seemingly, they are no doubt unsure of us but the relationship of our young Harry has served us again." He said with a chuckle. "Evidently he has trained extensively with someone they hold in high regard, Tiger Tanaka."

"The Japanese?"

"Yes, but they wish to hear the story directly from the horses mouth, as it were. They will expecting him this summer, and if it goes well we may have more allies."

"I'll have 007, make the preparations."

"How are the other plans progressing?" He asked.

"Well, most of our most sensitive areas have been warded against magical intrusion and the new safety measures are being implemented on our arsenals. The goblins have made a version of one of their failsafe measures available to us, at a cost of course." She said with a smile.

"But of course."

"They call it, the Thieves Downfall, a spray of water that will remove all enchantments on contact. It is being put in place at all nuclear sites first, especially the submarine service. They will be operational by the end of May, in the meantime they have heightened the readiness level."

"R and D May have some news for us as well soon on disrupting their travel on a wider scale, but it is still in the theoretical stage. The insights of the Flamel's has helped extensively, they will be working directly with Q over the summer."

"Any idea why they are so willing to help now? They had to have noticed the their world had been moving?" He asked.

"No, they hadn't. Not on a conscious level any way. They seem really embraced by it as well, they think it is a combination of their exceptional lifespan, and being focused on their research. They mostly have kept to them selves and their studies."

"Is it true they are alchemist?"

"Very much so, led into gold the hole bit. Saw it myself, _but_ they understand the consequences of the misuse of their art better than most. As for the led to gold thing, the power necessary is evidently ridicules to make the smallest amount." She said with a chuckle. "And the elixir, well if modified it can give someone a better chance to survive an injury, but the life extending properties need to come from a stone fabricated for an individual or couple."

"Very well, keep me informed."


	43. Chapter 44

**CHAPTER 44**

Anthony Greengrass walked down the hall of his family home, it was late and if wife had known that his 'trip to the loo' was actually to find something for his sweet tooth he would never hear the end of it.

He walked down the stairs in the dark, ever mind full of the first step the one with the loud 'pop' if you stepped on it in the wrong end, when he heard music coming from his office. He recognized it immediately, it was one of Daphne's favorites, the loud hiss in the music reminded him he needed a new needle for the old gramophone.

A light spilled from under the door and he could hear his daughter lightly humming along with the tune as he approached.

Gently opening the door he said. "Kitten?" looking around at the strewn office. Papers were everywhere, in piles on the floor, the chairs, on any surface. Paper was stuck to the walls, each had the name of a business on it, and they had brightly colored string running between them. "My Office! What are you doing?"

She jumped. "Father! It's not what.. well it is but.."

"It will take hours to put this right! What were you thinking?" Storming over to her.

"I didn't! Daddy, these are copies! I'd never do this with your files! Yours are still where they were."

"Oh,,, Well, I am still upset with you. You know better than to be in here."

"I know but the light is better in here and I needed to read these… and the little gramophone is in here." She sad sheepishly.

"Couldn't you have weighted till I was in here, I understand you want to know about the family businesses, but the next set of lessons could be done at a much more pleasant hour."

"…I know, but well… you see… Harry has been teaching me some things.. and I thought I would see if what he showed me was true in the wizard world as well."

"Harry? Lord Potter? He's just.. well he's young. How much could he know about the ways of business? I'm sure Lord Black is teaching him but.. well Sirius was never one known for his business sense."

Daphne laughed, "That is just what Harry said, Harry helped him draw up the new business plan for House Black, and from what he said the Black's are going to be pulling out of several businesses and investing elsewhere."

"He helped draw them up?" Tony said with a puzzled look.

"Yes, evidently Harry spent a lot of time with his Uncle, he's something called an investment banker he invests others money for a fee, usually a percentage of what is earned, and his grandfather who owns a large group of businesses dealing with construction and transportation."

"Harry has been teaching me about something called, Business Synergy, a grouping of smaller business that work together to make a product or provide a service. He said to look at the business se what they had in common, how could they work together to be more efficient and bring costs down."

Tony chuckled at that, "Sweetheart, the business take care of themselves, they people running them know best how to make their products."

She looked at him, "Father, I'm serious. It works! Come here and take a look. This is a potion house correct?" She asks pointing at a page, he nodded. "These three companies secure ingredients, that the first buys at full price. Why? All are owned by the Greengrass family, and if they were provided at a minimal markup, say eight percent over cost, the savings to the potion house would be amazing, allowing us to lower our prices and undercut the competition."

"You could even offer to enter a partnership with others to 'trade resources' keeping costs down. I think I am even starting to see the need for certain other business that could be lucrative."

The discussion carried on into the night. As the sun started to light the sky the two talked quietly as they retired to their rooms. "I can't believe that we never tried those things, Lord Potter is quite impressive."

"Very, he is also the number two student of our class, and takes mugg… non-magical school classes as well, with top marks."

"Number two? The way you speak of him I'd have thought he was number one! Next you will say he is an ace Quidditch player as well!"

"Oh he flies a broom like he was born to it, but the sport has no interest to him. To much is pined on the shoulders of the seeker that does nothing but zoom around looking for a little ball. His words not mine, and that it would be a better game without that and timed sections. More competitive."

Tony stood still in the middle of the hall and let out a snort, "His mother sais almost the same thing once. You like him don't you."

"He's nice, and I've learned a lot." She said entering her room, a smile gracing her lips.

"Kitten…"

"Goodnight Daddy." She said as she closed the door.

* * *

><p>Algernon Croaker sat across the hall looking at his old partner, Amelia, a careful eye studying her. She had lost some of the fat that had collected after taking over the job as head of the DMLE, and sitting behind a desk. The more fluid movements were also returning, almost as if she was once again an officer in the field. He watched as she absently massaged her left shoulder, moving it as if stiff. Standing he crossed the hall and joined her as she walked to the elevator, presumably headed for her office.<p>

"Morning Amelia," He said "Little stiff this morning?"

"Morning Al, yes a little."

"You are looking well, whatever you have been doing it seems to suit you."

"Thank you."

"Any particular reason for the change?"

Her face reddened, "N-no, not really. Just thought I should be a better example to the department, I had slacked off sitting behind my desk. Can't have that."

"No I guess not." He leaned closer and whispered once they were alone in the elevator, "I think Sirius will appreciate it."

He face darkened further, "W-w-hat, no.. it's nothing like that.."

"It's ok, I understand." He stood patiently as the floors passed, "It's has been a long time, you've been alone along time, be happy." Finally she gave a small nod. "..but on to other things, I think we need to speak about your young friend Lord Potter, in your office?" She nodded again and led the way.

After entering Al cast several spells, "What else can you tell me about the young man?" She looked at him intently after sitting behind her desk, she was thinking hard he could tell.. maybe a different tac? "I know the reason that the Flamel's took the teaching positions at Hogwarts was to try and correct , something Albus has done but I am at a loss as to what."

"Nick and Penny felt that they owed Harry and the girls something after the incident with the fake stone. Evidently Albus was a student of theirs when he was younger, and felt that they need to set some things right that their ex-apprentice had done."

Nodding he sat down across from her, "I did some digging into that… thing… that attached itself to Quirrell, it may have been a wraith created with some of the foulest magic I have ever seen. How it was done is still unknown to me but I have found several instances in the past of something similar, mostly in Egypt. A way to tie the soul to this realm and not pass on, I am still looking for more information."

She nodded, he noted that their was no nervousness, almost as if his explanation had been expected. "Then all we can do is look at this as being forewarned, and try to prepare the best we can."

He decided to be blunt, "Amelia, you know more than you are telling me. You know me, I will keep your confidence."

She looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, "Lets go get an early lunch." She stood and crossed to her receptionist, telling her she would be out for the remainder of the day.

* * *

><p>Albus stood on the coast looking out at the sea, it had been a long time since he had been here. He pulled the wand he had been using from his sleeve mumbled a few words and faded from sight, along with the other man that was with him. The two walked quietly toward the dock below where a boat was being loaded with supplies. Slipping on board they, moved deep among the boxes.<p>

The crossing was not all that long, only about thirty minutes, but the change in the air was very noticeable. The temperature had dropped significantly and a feeling of dread hung in the air, heavy you could feel it physically deep in your bones.

The boat slid to a stop at the loan dock below a dark foreboding building, spires piercing the air like angry teeth grabbing at the sky. This place was Azkaban, the Wizard prison, within its walls you were lost to despair and agony.

Being in the sea of the north coast of Scotland it was almost always cold and dark, with a fine sea mist adding to the discomfort. Beyond that their were the guards, not the human ones, those were few among the halls less than twenty staff at any time. No the real guards were the Dementors, they were the very visages of death incarnate. Long black tattered black robes over white skeletal bodies, great hoods covering disfigured heads with a gaping maw where a mouth would be.

These creatures were some of the most feared in all of the world, they lived on a persons misery, literally sucking the happiness out of a person leaving only the pain in place on witch the fed. These creatures were also the executioners when the courts found it necessary, death by 'kiss', as it drained away and consumed the soul.

Dumbledore led the way, with little difficulty through the halls till he found the cells he had been searching for, opening the doors he cast a few spells and one of the two prisoners awoke sitting up slowly he looked at the ex headmaster.

"Albus."

"It is good to see you Severus, will you help me with Mrs. LeStrange? We need to be away from here as quick as we can, it is only another hour till the boat is scheduled to go. And I'd rather not be here for another week."

Severus Snape stood slowly and began to collect the weakened woman from the nearby cell.

"Now," Dumbledore said to the pair with him. "Repeat your instructions."

"I are to enter the cells. Wait one day. Drink the potion. Throw the vial out the window Then kill myself." The man said.

"Excellent. Severus a hair please, and the Polyjuce will be complete for mister Harris."

Soon the three were again on the mainland and with a 'Pop' were gone.


	44. Chapter 45

I still own nothing and do not have a beta.

Read, enjoy!

**CHAPTER 45**

Al was starting to wonder what his friend was up to, they had passed out of the Ministry, in transfigured clothing, and hailed a taxi. The driver had responded to her order of 'Drive' with haste, merging into the morning traffic.

They had ridden quite a while in the heavy traffic, Al had never been a fan of this form of travel and thought every one of these drivers was suicidal, especially the cab drivers.

"Piccadilly." She said leaning forward so the driver could hear. "Please be quick about it."

Al looked at her strangely, as the driver made a series of turns.

"Al, what do you know of a man named Tom Marvolo Riddle?"

"Riddle?" Al looked pensive, "No I don't think I know him."

"I've had enough time to do some general digging, Head Boy Hogwarts class of '45. Held a couple of small jobs after that, Borgin and Burks employed him the longest almost a year. Summer of '47 he up and disappeared. He had just been tuned down for a Ministry job, under Jim MacDonnald."

"Jim…He was head of my department at the time."

"Yea, after that.. He was just gone. He was an orphan, grew up in the muggle world, and was one of the lucky ones, sent to Hogwarts. His mother was a witch from a poor family, the Guants, His father a minor noble on the muggle side Tom Riddle. We don't know when or how but the parents separated before his birth, and his mother passed away soon after the birth."

"Amelia, I'm not sure what this is abou.." He stopped speaking as she handed him a page from her pocket on it were to names with lines connecting the same letters of each.

Tom Marvolo Riddle

I am Lord Voldemort

His eyes passed over the page many times, to him it seemed to take ages for his mind to make sense of what he was seeing. If this were to be believed then the '_lord_' of the pureblood movement had not been even close to a pureblood, he was a fraud.

"This can't be true… someone would have noticed."

"Really? Are you sure of that? Where did he come from? What was his origin? Where did he go to school? No I believe this to be true. Even worse," She said with a sigh. "Albus Dumbledore knew the entire time."

Al's eyes shot up. "How?"

"He taught the man, was even the original contact person for when his acceptance letter was sent. I have even personally herd him call the '_lord' _ Tom when they fought. Then last year after the incident at the school and Albus was removed from Hogwarts, it was discovered that the ward scheme of the school had been greatly damaged, since it dealt with the safety of the children I was and it was decided that a complete review of the school was required."

She took a steadying breath and continued, "What was found led us to arrest him and Snape for a range of things, but I suspect you have seen the transcripts of those trials," She looked at him and he nodded, "So you also know that it was handled in such a way as to keep the news of what they had done quiet." Again he nodded. "Albus was in St Mungoes the night it burned."

A stunned look came over his face. "Did he…"

"Die there? No I don't believe so, but the damage was to severe to be sure, but I believe he got away. At least that is what I have started basing my plans on. Anyway, many things were found as the castle and gone through, from deadly objects to controlled substances. All in all it was a good thing."

"But what does this have to do with Potter?" He asked.

"A lot actually, you see he was the heart of Dumbledore's fall from grace. During the war, Albus formed a group to combat Voldemort, he called it the Order of the Phoenix. An interesting group to say the least, we found several pictures and a roster of members; the Potters, the Longbottoms, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Dedalus Diggle, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, Peter Pettigrew, the MacDougals…. My brother Edgar and his wife… others. They were the front line of the war, I remember many times that all or some of them fought by our sides." Al nodded, he had heard rumors of the group, but did not know who was involved.

She continued, "After the night at Godric's Hollow, Harry was taken to his muggle Aunt, I meet her last year a very unpleasant woman, and left on her doorstep, at night, in November. He wandered away, and was found in the streets by a couple coming home from dinner. A note was stuck to the blanket he was dragging giving his name, he was moved into the muggle care system and adopted by the Bonds. He grew up happy, luckily. His father is a good man, his mother passed away in an accident several years ago, but recently his father started to date a woman who is very pleasant and they get along well."

Glaring at her he said "And? None of this required us to come here." Following her from the cab, she just gestures for him to follow.

She led him on a wandering path among the items for sale till they emerged into an area unlike anything he had ever seen, Rows upon row of glass front boxes showed various pictures some were even of himself and Amelia as they approached.

"These are called Televisions, or telly for short, an amazing invention allowing news and entertainment to be sent to any home with one, like the wizard wave but with pictures. I don't know how much time you spend in the muggle world, but according to the numbers that Harry's father showed me, most house holds own more than one. Now I'm going to block the view of the people, cast something,." She said moving in front of him.

He looked at her closely for a few moments drew his wand and said, "_luminos."_ and a light came from the tip of the wand.

"No," she said, "levitate one, cast a stunner, something with some power behind it."

Grimacing, he swished and flicked his wand, "_winguardium leviosa_" the telly raised off the shelf, then settled quickly back. He stood there stunned. "It didn't stop working…" He looked at her then back again "I thought…"

"I did to, till recently. I cast at the bonds home without thinking, and nothing happened, then we experimented a little. As long as it is not something with a physical affect, like a bludgeoning hex, nothing. It seems that our beliefs about technology and magic have been proven wrong."

She gestures to the tellys showing the people walking past, "Those are connected to cameras, demonstrating them as a product, _but_ the same form of technology is also being used as security. Harry's father explained them when we came here last year, and they are becoming more common."

"Why show this to me?"

She scrubbed her hand thru her short hair. "Because Al, you need to see. You need to understand, before I told you the biggest news I have found. We will not be able to hide indefinitely from this world, they will take notice of us! Especially if Tom and his followers start their muggle hunting again."

He looked at her expectantly, "Albus, what he and others have done goes well beyond what I think you know. Now I have told you of his 'order of the burning chicken' what you don't know is what its real purpose was." She paused, steeled herself then continued. "To remove the Most Ancient and Most Noble Families."

He stood there as if struck, "Think about it carefully; the Longbottom's were tortured to insanity, the Potters killed as were my family and the MacDougal's, of the families remaining there are only women and two boys. Harry was meant to grow up in a possibly abusive environment, I've met the family the are horrible people, and if it had not been for a strange twist of fate, the Longbottom name may have ended that night when Frank and Alice were attacked."

"But why?" he asked.

"Control. If you look into it, and I know you will. All of the power in the government would fall into new hands. I'm trusting you with this Al, I've looked through my families history, up until the fifties the Bones were a large family and growing stronger, now only Susan and I remain. I'm not going to say anymore, you need to find the truth for yourself. Talk to me again when your investigation is through."

She turned and walked away, leavening the very confused and concerned Unspeakable behind.

* * *

><p>Harry walked into the building being used as a temporary hospital, quickly making his way to his destination he knocked gently on the door.<p>

"Yes" came the strong voice of Molly Weasley.

"Mrs. Weasley? Ginny? How are you today?"

"Oh! Lord Potter! Please come in." Molly said standing quickly, and trying to straighten her robes. Ginny also stood, papers spilling from the small desk, where he thought she was working on her lessons.

"Please call me Harry, lets save the titles for something formal." Molly nodded. "And you Ginny, I hope you are feeling better."

"I am, Harry thank you. It's hard though."

"My Grandfather has told me many times that the things you work hard for are worth the most."

"Your Grandfather? I thought he had passed long ago?" Asked Molly.

"No, talked to him this morning. He is in Oslo, on a construction site. They are renovating the airport."

"A Potter is working at an arrowport?"

"A Pott… No Mrs. Weasley, not my birthfather's family, my adopted mother Tracy Draco's father Marc-Ange. He owns several large construction companies, he's overseeing a few things.

"Draco.. I don't know the name." She muttered. "Oslo.. as in Norway?"

"He's non-magical, so I wouldn't expect you to have heard of him, but he will be back home in Madrid," Looking down at his watch, "Well about anytime really."

"That quickly? I'd expect him to take at least a few days to get home."

"He looked at her oddly, no he went home by plane. Only a couple of hours to get back."

"Amazing, I don't know much about muggles, but my husband finds them fascinating, He has an automobile he tinkers with and a collection of plugs for electicity."

"Electricity, he and I should talk some time I may be able to help if he has any questions."

"I'm sure he'd like that, thank you for the kind offer."

"But, lets table that for now, I came to speak with Ginny and see how she of faring." He turne and walked over to the girl.

"So, your feeling better? That was quite the fall you had."

"Yes, everything is fuzzy though. The mind healers are helping, and say that I have no permanent damage other than some lost days. My lessons are going better than they thought, evidently it is easer learning something for the second time." She said with a grin.

"Or you are motivated to get back o your friends, and family."

"That too." She said.

"And someone said that you had something of mine?"

Smiling sheepishly, she pulled his wand from her bag. "I think they thought it was mine."

"Probably, I almost fell in that hole myself when I ran into the room. I was lucky to grab hold of that sink. I'd have fallen right on top of you."

"If you don't mind me asking, why were you out so late. It was well passed curfew."

"I have bouts of insomnia," she looked confused. "Nights that I can't sleep no mater how I try, the only way I have found to sleep is to exercise. So I walk, I'm just glad I could help." He says tucking the wand away.

She nodded, "And the teachers don't have a problem with that?" asked Molly.

He looked down and rubbed the back of his neck, "They… Well… I have been spoken to, and said I'd try something else."

Molly nodded to herself, and went back to her needlepoint.

"Well, I'm glad you are feeling better, I'll leave you to your studies and hope to see you back at school soon." He said as he turned and passed through the door.

"He is a very nice young man." Said the elder read head.

Ginny nodded her agreement, and returned to her studies. She said quietly to herself "I know that there is more than that to the story, I know whatever happened in there he saved my life."


	45. Chapter 46

Hey to everyone and thanks for reading, if you like it please let me know.

Still no beta, if you would like to or know someone please feel free.

As always I own nothing please enjoy!

**CHAPTER 46**

"James, it's good to see you," Said the goblin as he stood to walk around the desk and grasp James's arm in a warrior's handshake.

"Good to see you to Ragnarok."

"How is your family?" James looked him over carefully. He knew from experience that the question, while sincerer, was the goblins way to begin the approach of a delicate subject.

"Better, Harry is doing well I dropped him off this morning for the train back to Hogwarts."

"Good, excellent. I'm glad he is doing better." He said absently, fidgeting with the large golden buckle oat his waste. James moved to take a seat, whatever it was it had disturbed his old friend, but forcing the issue would do nothing to help.

"James I asked you here for a few reasons first is to inform you and through your government of the escape of a criminal held in Azkaban, the wizard prison, she is very dangerous. Bellatrix LeStrange, she was the right hand of Voldemort, a talented fighter and powerful witch, and as you say crazy as a loon."

"As it stands we are not sure who if anyone knows of the escape within the wizard government, if the do know then it is being kept quiet. We know because an attempt was made to access the LeStrange and Black accounts using her key, it was an owl request and would have been valid had the LeStrange vault still been available. As it is she is knutless, and disowned, if she figures out Sirius and Harry are behind this she will come after them."

"On another note, we found some of your son's family things in Hogwarts. Some he has received, his parents journals, and the odd trinket, but the most startling thing we found were his parents portraits. They are magical ones and we took them into our care because they seemed to be inactive."

"It has taken many months to get them to the state that they are in, and may take many more before they are fully active but they insisted on meeting you." Waving his hand a door opened and two large paintings were carried in and placed along the wall.

The first was a man with small laugh lines showing around his mouth and long dark hair pulled back into a pony tail, he was dressed in what were traditional robes of the Wizengamot. The other was a beautiful red head that had Harry's eyes, her hair was long and spilled down in soft curls, and she was dressed in a dark suit with a light set of robes over them.

The man turned to look at him "I am James Robert Potter, and this is Lilly Marie Evans. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bond. I wish I could say it was under better circumstances."

"Mr. Potter…." James stopped a moment, "He said Evans, were you not Mrs. Potter?"

The woman snickered, and the man looked down, "I have just one thing to say about that, Albus Dumbledore."

"You see Mr. Bond," she continued, "we were painted during the summer before our seventh year, and as such have the un-alterable memories up to that point. It is true that during our sixth year I had a falling out with my best friend, after some other things came to light I began to associate with a new group the so called 'Marauders' and saw the wizard world in a new light, and these paintings along with those of the other Marauders were done as commemoration of our decision."

James Potter continued, "While we did date, but our feelings went no further than that. What came after, in our seventh year is where things get hazy. When we retuned to school my guardian passed away, and some how Dumbledore gained my guardianship and with it access to my family estate. Within weeks everything had changed. Suddenly, Lilly and I were a couple deeply in love, planning our wedding etc.."

"All of that was untrue, we had made plans to combat what we had found in the potter family library. A conspiracy to remove the Wizards from under the rule of the crown, as a group we had planed to ask for an audience with Her Majesty, and the leaders of our government after I came of age. Unknown to us we had placed our trust in the hands of the worst person possible, the great and powerful Dumbledore."

"I am sad to say that, we lost ourselves to the man, between the potions and the spells the people we were disappeared."

Lilly continued, "The memories of that time are here," she said gesturing to both of them "but the feel different. Not as solid as the others, we think we were to be a backup plan to the old mans plans, he experimented on us for a long while, but never seemed to be able to control us as he had our 'originals'. I may not feel as my original was manipulated into about James, but be assured I do have a deep love for our son and am excited at the prospect of meeting him.

James nodded in agreement, "As do I, I hope that he is doing well. Our host has told us some of what has passed, and we are glad that he was raised so well."

"He is. He is headed back to Hogwarts as we speak."

"The Director was kind enough to.." both of the paintings suddenly stuttered to a halt.

Ragnarok sighed, "That seems to be all for today," he said looking at Bond, "With all that we have done they are only active for a short time each day, and some days are better than others. My people are endeavoring to correct the issues but it may take some time."

"The Flamel's?"

"I am reluctant to ask any more of their time as they are teaching and helping your research and development team. As un-fortunate as it is, those projects are much more important. Do you not agree?"

"Yes, I suppose you are right. I'm as sure Harry will be overjoyed even if his family was not the perfect picture that was presented." Said James nodding his head.

"Agreed. The discussions that I or others have had with them has yielded some more information. Potter Manor has been destroyed, along with the other Marauder paintings. Anything that was of worth that could be sold without being recognized has been and the proceeds are lost."

"As for the lordships, they were never assumed by Harry's father because Albus figured the family magic would not allow it with his compulsions active, and that is why he never had more access to the vaults, upon his birth the family edicts provided for the creation of Harry's trust vault. Thankfully withdraws were not forthcoming against it as it is only a small amount to cover schooling and sundries, we suspect he knew of this and left it alone."

"Any idea why he was so interested in this union?" Asked James.

"We are endeavoring to find out, but we have run into a wall on your side of things and hope that you may be able to help. Lilly's father was told that he was sterile, and both Lilly and Petunia were fathered by a family friend, a Jacob Longfellow. This is a name unknown to us and we can not seem to track him down."

"I'll have some of our people look into it." James said.

"The paperwork from Dumbledore's office covers a lot of territory but everything pertaining to Lily was missing, there was a place for the file but it is nowhere to be found."

"If he can be found, we will find him."

* * *

><p>Tonks stood in front of the nondescript door, worry etched on her heart shaped face. Can she do this? Is she ready for what is coming? Sighing, she looked down at her self in the reflection of the glass at the side of the door, her true face showing for the first time in, well, years, and no one even looked at her twice, other than her hair color everyone had said she bore a striking resemblance to her mothers sister, the notorious Bellatrix LeStrange, Yet here she was standing in a hall for all to see in a pantsuit she had borrowed from her mother, she quoted in her head 'First impressions are important, and you need to make a good one. Harry and Sirius are counting on you.', and not a person shrank away or looked afraid. Maybe, she could take it as a good sign, she thought to herself.<p>

With one more quick look she summoned up her courage, pulled the door open and stepped inside.

The room was full of men and women about her age some filling out paperwork others quietly talking, she wound her way through and approached what looked to be a reception desk. A small blond woman,who's name plate proclaimed her name was Dottie, smiled and looked up at her.

"Good morning, just take one of the numbers." She said gesturing at a stack of plastic placks with numbers on them, "and one of the clipboards, be sure to fill it out completely. When I call your number go through that door and someone will meet you and take you where you need to go. Good luck and welcome to Her Majesties Armed Forces." She said with practiced ease.

"Ok, thank you." Tonks replied. Finding and empty seat she began to fill out the paperwork, thankful that her father had insisted that she have all her paperwork, what felt like a short time later she was led down the hall to a small office inside was a large man, with brown hair cut short, wearing what she suspected was a uniform of the Armed Forces.

"Sit down Ms…." Looking at the paperwork on the clipboard. "Tonks. Wow, Nymphadora Alpena Tonks, that's… different."

"Family names, most just call me Tonks. I really dislike my names."

"Well, thankfully most of the time you would be called by your last name, but as of today this Tonks person has disappeared for the foreseeable future. You have a unique chance to reinvent yourself."

She was stunned, "So, I take it you are the person I am here to see?"

"Yes, I will be your instructor in the near future, but first things first. How about a new name?"

She thought about it for a moment, "I like the name Alexandria."

"Ok Alex it is, Alexandra Diane Harper. Your paperwork will be done soon, now empty your pockets and your purse and place everything on the table. If it is magical put it off to the side." Doing so she looked at him for an explanation.

"Changing a persons identity is a tricky thing, the smallest detail can cause all forms of problems." Pointing to the side of the room. "In there you will find a plastic bag everything you are wearing goes in it, even bobby pins, and your knickers. On the shelf is a new set of clothes for you. Everything you have here will be stored for you safely."

"But, my wand…."

"For the next few week you will not need it, I'll tell you more about everything when you are done."

She returned shortly, dressed in slacks and a top, noting that all her belongings were already gone.

"Ok, Alex." He said with a smile. "Here are your new ID's and paperwork, you were born in the same general area just a different Hospital, included are your school records and a few other things. We have an checking account for you with a generous amount. Use it to buy a few things, you won't need a lot, under things, toiletries, some personal items. You'll need to do it today, I have arranged a vehicle for you and a hotel, be at this address by 8:00am tomorrow. From there you will go through what all recruits do, for the next six weeks you will be under the instruction of some of the finest, hand picked for your basic training. Strength, and endurance, basic weapons, and hand to hand. Be sure to do your best I'll be watching, and I want you at the head of your class. Understood?

"Yes." She said.

"WRONG SOLDER, It is yes SIR! Understood?"

"YES SIR!"

Very good, I'll see you soon." He said with a grin, as he turned to walk out of the room.


	46. Chapter 47

As usual I own Nothing! Enjoy! Review!

**CHAPTER 47**

Amelia, shuffled her feet as she moved at a weary pace into the sitting room.

"Man, Amy you look dead on your feet," Said a voice from one of the high backed chairs.

"You know that would be funnier if I didn't match that description, they are really putting me through my paces, and I'm still going to the office to deal with a few things every day."

" Come sit down and I'll have Mipsy whip you up something to eat." Sirius said leaning forward to kiss her forehead lightly."

"I grabbed something on the way, so no need to bother." She said collapsing into the offered chair.

"You know you didn't need to drop by if you are this tired."

"Yea, I did. I missed you, you dumb lug. With all of the training I'm doing I haven't spent much time with you."

"So how is all of that going?"

"You mean my 'vacation' from work? Well I think, I'm done with handgun training, and halfway done with the bobbies advanced hand to hand classes. By far the most interesting classes have been the evidence gathering, and investigation skills. If we could have used some of those at St. Mungoes, we would knox if Albus survived."

"Just bet that he did, he is a tough old goat."

Nodding she continued, "That is what I am moving forward with, and to top it off your cousin has disappeared from her cell and Snape was found dead in his."

Sirius looked stunned. "On the same day?"

"Possibly, that is why I was so late this evening. I was interviewing the warden and staff. It seems that they have taken to letting the house elves feed the prisoners and only ventured into the dementor patrol areas every few days. She may have been gone for up to a week."

"Bloody Hell! And Snape?"

"A few days, maybe more. I'm arranging for his body to be brought back, and it is going to 'somehow' end up in the non-magical morgue, for another look before it is moved on to be buried at Spinners End, with the rest of the Prince Family.

"Snape was a Prince? I never new that."

"His mother was."

"I hope he finds peace there, it wasn't until later that Lilly told us what his home life was like. I wish I had never done some of the things we did back in school. We may have been able to help if we knew. You suspect something?"

"I don't know, but I'm not going to take a chance with your nut of a cousin out."

"That I can understand, have you told the Longbottoms?"

"Yes, Augusta did not take it well, and I did it against Fudge's wishes. Can you imagine not letting them know? Augusta would have his head, he wanted to hold off on the announcement until after the next Wizengamot meeting, stupid bugger. I intend to use this to force trough some changes and a budget increase for the department."

She continued with a snicker, "That idiot wants to use the dementors to help look for her. Could you see the havoc that will cause?"

"I've spent enough time close to those things, but away from Azkaban? That's even worse."

"As of now I'm off of vacation, tomorrow I start looking for a new warden, and all new guards."

"I'll start speaking with members of the Wizengamot, any thing else I can do to help?" He asked.

"Not at the moment." She said snuggling into his side. "Right now this is what I need."

"Anything my lady needs."

* * *

><p>For the first time sense coming to Hogwarts someone was already in the shower room before Harry entered, one Neville Longbottom sat facing the door as he entered.<p>

"Neville, you're up early."

"More like up late, Harry."

"Something wrong?" He said crossing to the shelves and placing his sundries there.

"Yea," he said with his head down, "Harry I need a favor, not as a Lord or anything but as a friend… I need to learn how to fight. I know you know more than you let on, and I need to know. I've got to be ready!" He said looking up, and harry could see his tear streaked face for the first time.

"Neville," He moved closer and sat on the bench facing him. "What happened?"

Sighing, Neville looked toward the door. "Last night my Gran flooed, it was an emergency so I was taken to the Headmistresses office to take it… She escaped.. Lestrange… The woman that.. destroyed my family escaped. She could have been gone as long as a week… no one knows."

"And what? Are you planning on hunting her down?"

"YES!" he said with no small amount of venom, "no… Gran made me promise. If I even get a glimpse of her to get away. She made it very plane, that if my parents both of them fully trained and veterans of the war could not deal with her then I have no chance, and I have responsibilities as the last male Longbottom… but I need to be ready! Just in case!"

"It sounds like she is a smart woman, and I can understand where you are coming from." Harry began, "I do know a little, but you need to understand it is a slow skill to learn. I've been practicing for a long time and what I know is non-magical. If you want to learn it I can start you off but you will need to find someone to teach you over the summer, a sensei. I can ask mine and we will find someone that you will like."

"Thanks Harry."

"Not a problem, get some sleep. We will start your physical training tomorrow, the first step is to get you in good physical shape."

"Can't I start now?"

"Not a good idea, you are exhausted and that could lead to injury. Just try and get some rest."

He nodded his head and walked from the room. Harry shook his head, he wanted Neville to come to him for training, but not like this. He lost himself in thought as he went about his morning routine.

* * *

><p>"UP AND AT THEM!" Screamed the voice of their Drill Sergeant, Major Guthrie was a stout woman and looked every inch the soldier she was. "FALL OUT, full packs! Lets get a move on! It's a lovely day for a run!"<p>

Tonks took a reflexive glance at the window, only darkness lay beyond punctuated with a streetlight in the distance. She groaned as she stood, muscles tight from abuse.

Every day had been the same here, up before dawn, stretching,. Physical training, a run, breakfast then classes, finally after a long day they would collapse into the beds into blissful sleep.

"HARPER! Front and center!" Tonks scrambled in front of the Major pulling the last of her clothes on.

"Major Guthrie! Reporting as orderd!"

"You will report to medical, it seems some of your paperwork has fallen into a black hole and you will need a new physical. I expect you to join us as soon as possible. Understood?"

"Understood, Major Guthrie!"

"On your way then."

Quickly doing as she was told she crossed to the medical center, there she was led through the halls to an office.

"Ms. Harper please come in and sit. My name is Doctor Molly Warmflash, said the striking red head offering her hand. I was asked to come here by our mutual friends so that those that need to know will have a better understanding of your… special gifts."

Tonks looked at her as if she had been struck, and finally stuttered out. "G-G-Gifts?"

"Correct, gifts. As I recall you are something called a metamorphmagus? I understand that your gift is really quite remarkable."

"I-I-I Don't know what you are on about doctor."

The doctor looked at the young woman with a frown. "Really? Do we need to go all through this Ms. Tonks?" She said with a small grin.

"You know?"

"Yes, and no one outside of a small select group ever will. I have been sent by your advanced trainer to ascertain the effectiveness of your abilities."

"When will I find out more about this group?"

"I assume when the time comes, probably when you begin with your advanced training. Now no more dawdling please begin." She said looking down at her note book, she gave a little shriek as she looked up seeing a carbon copy of herself in fatigues.

"T-t-t-hats most impressive." A glazed look came over her as her counter part grew a duck bill.

"Quack" Was the last sound she heard as she collapsed, passed out on the floor.


	47. Chapter 48

I own nothing!

Read, Enjoy, Review!

And if you're a beta… HELP!

Oh yea check out my other new story.. Have Chrome, Will Travel

**CHAPTER 47**

The first week was hardest for the young Longbottom, not only did he have sore muscles but Harry had also placed him firmly in the middle of the study group with the ladies, this led to his brain to hurt as much as his body. After speaking with the Headmistress they were allowed to begin using the halls and staircases in the early mornings, under supervision, to train. It had not quite been a month when the ladies began to join them, after a spectacular showing in the dueling club that had started.

That had been an odd experience, an off hand discussion in the Great Hall by the twins had led to a discussion on what the teachers were known for. As it tuned out Professor Flitwick was a dueling champion before becoming a professor. As soon as Harry heard this he started working on a plan, ad it led to the creation of the dueling club, where they soon learned that the half-goblin professor was not one to be taken lightly, as was Auror Cross.

The first duel, that was very short, resulted in the Auror's defeat. They began again this time not restricted to the duel diesis, the wards had been extended, moved back to give significantly more room. In this fight things were not so nearly one sided. They still used some of the spell chaning, use of spells that worked easily together because of the incantation or wand work, but these were of much shorter length and they never stopped moving, using short range Aperition to change facing and jump from cover to cover. It became evident quickly that the diminutive professor was at a disadvantage, this was no dual it was a _fight_. One that if the Auror was willing could have been just as short. Finishing the pair walked forward, and the Auror shook the mans hand.

He then addressed the group "Let this be a lesson to all, dueling is an honorable and beautiful sport, but it is just a sport. Please do not think that the things that you see here are things you would be of use defending yourself. While they may have some applications in that area, they are no substitute for being a trained Auror or Hit Wizard. If you are confronted, your best choice is to escape, someone like Bellatrix LeStrange is not to be underestimated." He said looking directly at Neville. "She is a battle hardened veteran, she could even hold her own with any of our best."

The dueling champion continued, "He is quite correct, I am a champion, but my training does not normally contain lethal or potentially lethal spells. I do not have the experience or the training to do what Auror Cross or his men do."

After seeing both duels Harry had stated that he intended to be in shape, that if push came to shove he would be ready. To his surprise many of his friends began joining him and Neville on a regular basis. First walking then jogging, by the end of the school year he figured they would be in much better shape.

The papers touting Bellatrix LeStrange's escape was a shock to most as every one thought of Azkaban as unbreachable, this led to Auror Cross only being around for class. Madam Bones had given a statement to the press stating that everything possible was being done to locate her, and a full review of Azkaban was being done and new measures were being added to prevent it from happening again. Using this she also began audits of the Ministry Building and other publicly accessed buildings, it would be a long job but she had help. Listed as private donations, funds were quietly slipped into the DMLE department by Her Majesty's Government, allowing things to proceed quietly while the Wizengamot argued amongst themselves and things were being held up by committee proceedings. Political wrangling hand become Amelia's most hated foe.

The remaining year passed with only the excitement of finals punctuating them, Hermione driving them all to distraction with her timetables and revising. But in the end it was a tight group of friends that stepped onto the platform 9 ¾ to meet their parents and part for the summer.

"Neville, you've got the name of the sensei and his address?" Harry asked.

"Yes, it's in my trunk. You never said what you were doing this summer Harry."

"Not much, I'll work with my family some. Take some time with Dad, it's still up in the air."

Nodding, Neville turned. "There's my Gran, See you all soon. Owl when someone makes a decision on meeting to get our school things." Smiling he joined his grandmother, who had once again donned her vulture toped hat now that she was not in the non-magical world, hugging her then moving into on of the floo rooms that was being guarded by an Auror.

A piercing shout of "Harry!" Was heard as a young red head wrapped her arms around him and hugged him hard.

"Ginny? We had wondered how you were. Are you doing better?"

"Right as rain. I'll be back at school next year. I could have gone back the last month but we talked it over and thought it would be best if I studied ahead a little, to help with my confidence. That and we are still working through a couple of issues, the thought of being there still bothers me some times. The healer said it is a trauma induced fear, they will take me to Hogwarts a few times this summer, help me be ready to go back."

"That's great Ginny, we'll all be there when you get back and we'll help any way we can."

Slowly the group said goodbye till it was just Hermione, Luna and Harry. "Luna I haven't seen your father. Is he meeting you here?" Asked Hermione.

She looked at her, he large eyes questioning. "Why would he be here?"

"To see you home Luna? How will you get home from here?" She asked

"Daddy is off in Siberia,, or was that Serbia… I always get those mixed up." She said digging into the drawstring bag she always seemed to carry.

"So who are you staying with? A relative? Friends?" She said looking around "They must have gotten the time wrong." mumbling the last part to her self.

"Oh, no much better." She said pulling out a piece of parchment and folding it open. "No I was right Siberia." Folding it closed and slipping it back into her purse.

Hermione looked at Harry, he shrugged his shoulders. "Surely you aren't staying home alone?"

"Oh no, Daddy would never allow that." She casually walked over to the trolley holding her trunk and began pushing it toward the opening that led to the non-magical part of the station.

Almost running the pair chased after her, pushing their own trolleys very hard. "Then where are you staying? Hermione asked.

Only to hear her reply as she stepped through into the main building "With Harry, of course!" Leaving the following pair to look at each other in surprise as rammed their trolleys together, both left standing there with a stunned look on their face.

* * *

><p>For the first time since her metamorphmagus abilitys were under her control, the young woman stepped into her parents home with her own face. It was one that showed her heritage, high cheekbones on a heart shaped face, her dark eyes looking like deep pools. The only thing that was held over was he bright pink hair, done up in a bun that would ride just under her cap when in uniform as she was now. Smartly dressed she gave herself a quick once over in the mirror near the door, then made her way toward the sound of voices.<p>

Rounding the corner she stepped into the room, her parents stopped in mid motion looking up from their dinner and drinking in the sight of their daughter. With tears in her eyes her mother stood and crossed the room, pulling her into a hug she started to cry.

"It's good to have you home dear." She pulled away from the hug slowly, looking her daughter up and down. "You look amazing… I thought I was proud of you when you became an Auror cadet… but this… this seems to be more,,, You."

Her father was pulling her into a hug and nodding his agreement. "It does seem to suit you."

"I love it, it's hard but I have learned more than I thought was possible." Tonks said.

Sitting down at the table she joined her parents for dinner, savoring every moment, burning each second into her mind.

Finally as the clock struck nine she stood, "I'm sorry I've got to go. My ride is probably here." Tears gathered in her eyes. "I won't be able to see you for a while, a year possibly two. The same rules apply, you know how to get me a message if you need to." She gathered them both up, in a hug. "I'm doing this for all of us, and with Aunt Bella out there it is that much more important."

"Do your best sweetheart, come home safe." Said her dad.

"You bet." She said walking out the door, they watched as she slipped into the passenger seat of the Range Rover only to have darkness swallow her as she waved once more and shut the door and they pulled away.

Slowly he shut the front door, holding his wife close as she sobbed, "Our little girl has grown up Andi."

She nodded, holding him close, "Yes, but the best of her is still there…" She looked up at him with a smile, "and not one dropped dish, or fall the entire evening." She said with a chuckle.

He looked pensive for a moment, "I guess not." He said with a smile.

In the Rover Driving away, Tonks wiped her eyes and turned to smile at the man driving, as a fine mist sprayed from the air conditioning vent hitting her face. "thpppp…" came from her as she made a face and wiped with the tissue he offered. "Ok that thing officially _sucks!_ What is it?"

"Security feature, something the eggheads put together. Look in your mirror,"

Flipping it down the visor lights on both sides of the vanity mirror flipped on lighting her face. "Check out your hair." He said

Her hair was black, raven black, not the violent pink she had for the evening, the color she knew her parents now expected. Shocked she tried to change the color..

"You won't be able to change for about ten minutes, give everything a chance to dry off good, it's good for any form of magical disguise or enchantment." He continued.

"I can't believe they came up something like this." She said.

"Creativity at its finest."

"So what now boss?"

David chuckled "We get you checked out in the morning and.. well I'm not to sure after that… although they did say something about seeing Lord somebody or other tomorrow,"

"Lord Potter?" She said trying to school her looks, and not look excited (Something she found much harder without her gifts.)

"Yea that's it." He said looking at her out the corner of his eye. "You know him?"

"A little, he seems nice enough." Inside she was giggling like a school girl.


	48. Chapter 49

And once again, I own nothing!

Read! Enjoy! Review!

**CHAPTER 48**

'All things being equal I'd rather be in Philadelphia.' Ran through Harry's mind while trying to ignore Hermione's death glare. "Hermione, stop! I have no idea what she is on about." He said, shrugging once more. "I think we'd better catch up with her and ask, though." Turning quickly he shifted both of their trunks around, making sure they were still stable, then pushed his way on off the platform and into the main terminal, leaving a livid Hermione to stare after him.

Upon exiting he had to laugh, before him were Dan and Emma Granger being pulled along by the arm by Luna. A confused look covered each of their faces, as the quirky blond tugged them along, saying. "You two need to be careful not to get infested with Nargels, if you do then it will mean no desert for a month!" then she preceded to regale them how her year went, like she had known them for years.

He turned just in time to see Hermione come to a stop with her mouth hanging open, as she watched the small group move down the corridor, her parents staring back at them with an expression that could only mean one thing… HELP!

She was jarred from her stupor when Harry spoke, "That's our Luna, spreading confusion like a farmer spreads fertilizer, liberally!" With that they both began to laugh.

They had barely caught with the trio as they passed out of the doors and into the warm London night, finally breaking away from Luna's stories, they gathered their daughter into their arms in greetings. Dan wisped in his daughter's ear, "I like her, but…"

Hermione broke her hug to beam a great smile, "Mom, Dad you remember Harry?" She said gesturing, "And this is Luna Lovegood, a good friend of ours."

The lithe blonde's smile shone at the announcement like a small sun. "It's a pleasure to meet you Luna." Dan said offering his hand, witch she bypassed and gave him a hug, then did the same to Emma.

"It is wonderful to meet you as well!" She said.

"Harry, nice to see you again." Said Dan.

"You to, sir. Should have warned you, I think Luna is more of a hugger than Hermione." Replied Harry.

"Is your father not coming." asked Emma?

"No, Dad is still at the office.. I think." He said checking his watch. "It would be out of his way, and I don't mind the ride in a taxi."

As they stood and talked for a minute, Harry was stunned to see Luna move her trolley next to 'his' taxi.

Soon Harry said, "Well, it's about that time. Hope to see you soon." He turned to start pushing his trolley. Harry looked around, suddenly unnerved by the quiet that had been settling over the area, it seemed… empty, even the line where taxies queued had empted while they had spoken.

Then he saw them four dark cloaked figures in bright silver masks moving from the far side of the drive, he had seen photos of them in the files at MI6, Death Eaters. Moving quickly he pushed the Grangers down behind the taxi as the first of the spells began to splash around them, large gouges where the red crescent shapes hit, Deep holes where the green beams did, filling the air with concrete dust.

"In the Taxi," Harry yelled, "Move!" As he ran past his trunk he slammed his hands on ether side, two compartments popped open and he pulled lose his pistol and extra clips. Thee clips, 24 rounds, and the H&K P7 would bee little more than a paper weight. The now panicking girls were being herded into what little cover was given by the Taxi.

Dan looked back as the boy approached, he was taken aback by the weapon held with practiced ease in his hand. Harry leaned to his right and fired off four quick shots around the front windscreen, as he arrived at the side of the car, they were answered by a sharp cry as one of the assailants, dropped to the asphalt in a crumpled heap. The others scattered, after seeing their comrade fall and realizing that their prey had every intention of fighting back.

The curses rained around them harder, turning to Dan Harry said, "We've got to get out of here." Looking into the Taxi he saw the body of his long time friend, Grimaxe, laying across the seats dead, a chunk of windscreen lodged in his chest.

Grimacing, Harry pulled open the door, while handing the pistol to Dan, "Get them in! We're getting out of here!" He said as he pushed the body across the seats and moved into the drivers position.

Dan looked around as he pushed the girls into the rear seat, "Keep your head down!" He yelled as a brightly yellow and red whip made of fire extended from one of the attackers wands, slicing through the back quarter of the roof, removing a three foot section cleanly, the girls screamed as hot metal fell. Taking aim Dan fired three quick shots, the first glanced off some form of shield, the second crashed through but did little, the third made the figure twist to the right, a spray of blood from its right shoulder.

Just before his next shot he heard the gears grind, and the car leap into motion, the engine growling like a demon. Spells pelted against the vehicle, inside the sound was defining as the rest of the windscreen shattered. Dan felt pebbles of glass pelt his back, and a sting of pain.

Twisting, a movement that saw his vision swim in pain, looked to see Harry moving to sit back up in the seat, having flung himself out of the way of some form of attack, His face and side covered in blood. He pulled on the wheel hard and rammed his foot to the floor, causing the vehicle to lurch again. Tossing Dan on top of his someone, with a sickening crunch and a scream.

They could hear a woman's cackling laugh outside the car. "Where is he Potter! Where is little Nevie Poo? He's always supposed to be with you!" was screamed by the woman that was now running after them, her eyes blazing with malice and hate. The sight was burned into Hermione's mind as she peaked at the woman through the hole in the back of the taxi, her mass of dark hair and hurling spell after spell.

Taking the next corner hard, Harry sideswiped a bus using the impact to help swing the taxi to the right and onto the main road. Large black curses impacted around them. One striking a parked car, it was enveloped in dark flames and with a thundering clap it was flipped into the air to slam down into the surrounding traffic.

Twisting the wheel again the car groaned and tires squealed as Harry shot across the road divider, and around the burning pile of metal. Putting the wreck between him and the Death Eaters he turned a hard left onto the next road away from the carnage, all the wile keeping an eye behind him.

After a few seconds Harry called over his shoulder, "Everyone ok?"

Hermione answered, "Harry! Daddy's bleeding, Mum and I are trying to stop it!"

He reached into his pocket and flipped the lid in an object that looked like a Zippo lighter, and depressed a stud inside.

"We'll be at St. Thomas Hospital in a few minutes! Just hold on!" He yelled as he swerved through the late Sunday evening traffic, praying for it to remain thin.

The engine screamed, and was beginning to knock, stem was billowing from it as they crossed the river and made the final few turns, but it held on till he pulled under the atrium at St. Thomas Hospital.

Climbing out, he was immediately calling or help. Pulling what was left of the door open he was looking directly into the eyes of a very angry man, still holding Harry's pistol in his hand.

"You have explaining to do." He said. Voice trembling with strain.

"Yes, sir." Harry answered.

"You will stay with my daughter! You watch over her! And you will not let her out of your sight till she is with me or her mother again. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" He said with a gulp, as Dan passed the pistol and clips back to him, Harry slipped the pistol into the waistband of his pants at the small of his back, and the clips into his pocket, standing away so the emergency personnel could do their work.

Removing his jacket he covered the body of Grimaxe, before he could be seen, placing a hand on the goblins head he said. "I'll see you get home." Standing he pulled his shirt tail out to cover his weapon and walked over to check on the ladies.

* * *

><p>Harry stood at the door of the waiting room; arms crossed staring down the hall. It had taken another five minutes for the first the first bobbies to arrive, and another five till a black sedan pulled in and a detective to arrive. They had not even begun with their questions when they received the word to secure the area only, this was now being classified as a terrorist attack and special investigators were in route.<p>

He sighed heavily, "Harry?" Came a voice from behind him. "Harry what's going on?" Then she whispered. "Why are you armed?"

Hanging his head, he said as he turned to face her chocolate brown eyes. "T-that's a long story. One that needs to wait for now. I'm sure your parents will have some of the same questions."

Luna gathered them both in a hug, "Thank you again Harry, that's the second time you've saved my life."

Harry looked down at her, "Luna, they were there for me.."

Hermione, shook her head. "No, Luna is right. You saved our lives again. I heard her Harry, they were looking for Neville."

Harry looked at her confused. "That must have been that Bellatrix woman, the one that escaped from prison." Hermione said. "She was trying to find him. She was probably hoping you could lead her to him."

Harry nodded as a voice called out from down the hall. "Ms. Granger?"

Hermione wiped her eyes and turned, "Yes? I'm Hermione Granger."

"I'm Doctor Philips," The man said, he was dressed in scrubs, and wore wire framed glasses. "Your mother is stable. She has a broken left arm, and collarbone, she will be staying overnight for observation. We are getting ready to move her upstairs, we will collect you here on the way in a few minutes."

"And my father?" She asked nervously.

"He's in surgery, it will be a few hours till we know more." He said.

"Thank you doctor." The man nodded and walked back.

"Oh, Harry!" She said as she buried her head in his chest and sobbed.

"He's tough Mia, Hell pull through." Harry said, stroking her hair, and Luna hugging them both again.

"Mia," Hermione said in a soft voice "No one has ever called me that before." She said sniffing and trying to dry her eyes.

"What? Would you rather I call you Mione?" She crinkled her nose, He looked at her with a lopsided grin "or maybe… Herms?"

To that she gave him a scowl, and smacked him in the chest. "Prat!"

"Ok, then Mia it is then." He said.

"Only you, and only when we are alone." She said.

Before he could answer he spotted Amelia Bones walking toward them.

"Madam Bones." Harry said, stepping away from Hermione and Luna.

She held up a hand, "First things first, are you three alright?"

"Bumps, bruises, a few small scrapes." Hermione answered.

"And your parents?"

Hermione continued. "Mum will be here overnight, she has a broken arm and collarbone…. Dad…" She turned back into Harry's chest and began to sob. Harry stroked her hair as Luna rubbed small circles on her back.

"Mr. Granger is in surgery. They are trying to deal with whatever he was hit with. It will be some time before we know anything." Harry said.

"Ok, I want you all to stay together. Harry your father will be here when he can, some one named Bill Tanner is on his way right now." Harry nodded. "Our people are at the seen along with the non magicals, the story as of now is that this was a terrorist attack, did any of you see anything identifiable?"

"I saw a woman, with wild black hair, dark eyes, pale skin." Hermione mumbled, "She had taken off her mask and was running after us cursing and yelling."

Harry took over, "Hermione could hear her. We need to tell Neville that Bellatrix is looking for him. One was throwing some form of black fire, a car exploded when it hit, and another made some form of flaming whip with his wand, it cut the back of the taxi off. Dan hit one of them in the shoulder with my pistol, and the fourth one,, I shot him twice center mass, He dropped where he stood."

"Luscious Malfoy," Amelia said. "His body was still there, we found blood but no other bodies. You did a fine job getting away from there."

"The driver… he didn't make it." Harry said. "If some arrangements could be made, I'd like to meet with his family." He said, catching Amelia's eyes and glancing at the ladies in his arms.

Nodding to him, "I'll have some guards posted soon. We'll take full statements in the morning, Ms. Granger yours will be last after you have some news about your father and some rest. I'll see you all soon." She strode off down the hall.

"Not exactly the welcome home I was hoping for." Said Harry.

Hermione said, "I was just hoping for some Chinese, or maybe a pizza for a dinner tonight."

Luna asked as she looked at Hermione, "Why would have an Chinese person to eat?" Then at Harry, "What's Pizza?"


	49. Chapter 50

I Don't own anything!

Still need a Beta!

Read! Enjoy! Review! (More reviews the better, feel free to make guesses about where things are going etc. or ask questions _**BUT**_ I reserve the right no not disclose plot points or future revelations)

Remember reviews are addictive, it makes me want to do more.

Like this…. It's a week early.. or that could be the snow.

**CHAPTER 49**

Daniel Granger woke as the nurse pressed the thermometer into his mouth, he had been awake a few times before but only in snippets, surrounded in haze. He looked around to find his brother looking out the window at the morning sun.

"You seem to be doing much better this morning Mr. Granger. There is a note for you, from your wife on the tray table." She said wile awaiting the pack she was holding to beep, telling her his temperature. "The doctor will be by to see you soon, you are his first stop when his rounds reach this ward. Try to be as careful as you can, do not to pull your stitches."

After the beep she smiled and jotted down something in the chart.

He was stiff and sore, but nodded as she turned and walked out of the room.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." Said his brother crossing the room

His brother pulled one of the uncomfortable looking chairs near the head of the bed. "Man, I thought this would have been the other way around." He laughed. "You visiting me after a fire fight, I thought you gave all that up for a nice house in the suburbs."

Dan chuckled the groaned, "Not funny, Not even a little. How are my girls?"

"Emma is a little banged up, broken collar bone and arm. Hermione just has some bumps and bruises, they'll both be fine."

"The girl? Luna?" Dan asked.

"Shaken, she's ok."

"Good."

"Notice you didn't ask about Harry," David said.

"Figured he'd be able to take care of himself." He grumbled, then said quietly, "He was armed, like he had been expecting it, he gathered us up and got us out." He looked at his brother. "He's what? Thirteen? Why does he need a firearm? What was he doing with one?"

"You need to read the letter, Emma will be here about time for breakfast, and don't worry they are under protection till the police know more."

Dan nodded thoughts swirling in his mind, "How bad?"

Dave looked at him, "Lacerated liver, and a couple of nasty holes. You'll be ok, they kept you out a couple of days to limit your movement and keep you from pulling something loose."

Dan nodded, and picked up the letter and began to read. It was just a quick note but somehow it set his mind at ease to see her chicken scratch writing telling him they were ok. A sigh came from him as he settled back.

"Dan, we need to talk." Dave began. "I know.." he trailed off.

"Know what?" His brother looked at him confused.

"About Hermione.. I know she's a witch."

Dan sputtered, "B-b-, What are you talking about?"

"A witch, a real spell weaving, wand waving, broom riding, witch… Well maybe not the broom riding, we know how she is with heights." He chuckled.

"Yea," Dan said with a smirk, "Did you get the stain out of the carpet?"

"No, but Jimmy helped me get a new one put in before the General was back from vacation. I'm never letting her so much a sit in a helicopter again."

"She seems to do fine on a plane,," Dan mused "As long as she don't look out a window. How did you find out,, we were careful, and if they find out the could take away your memory of it.."

"Just calm down, you didn't slip up. I just recently found out, but before we go into that, you need to read this and sign this." Dave said, tugging loose a bulging envelope from his jacket and passing it to him.

Dan pulled out the papers and began to read his hands began to tremble as he did.

"I've been recalled…" He tuned a page. "Transferred…." Slowly he read through the document, then glaring at his brother took the pen he was offered and signed."

"When you leave here you will 'officially' be recuperating from the failed terrorist attempt at the train station. You will be going to a special rehabilitation center to get you back up to snuff. I'll need access to your home while you and the girls are away."

Dave looked at his brother, with sympathy. "I know exactly how you feel, The first thing I wanted when I found out about these terrorist making a return was to get her away from the entire thing…_but_, it was explained to me that it could be exceptionally dangerous, if she was not trained till at least the end of her fifth year, something called the second stage of magical maturity will have happened by then."

Dan nodded, "It is the point that her body and magic begin to settle more evenly, it will happen, normally, around that time. How long have you known?"

"Christmas… I took the job thinking it was a taskforce working to stop a terrorist organization that was reforming with the return of their leader. I got a lot more than I bargained for."

"So, what has all of this to do with my family?"

"We were chosen because of our relationship to Hermione foremost, with you having been SAS and me retiring form active service, it was decided that we would have better insight into the situation. My group is having trouble gathering information on what exactly wizards can do, our first priority has been protection of our military assets, next is a way to catalog a wizards abilities. The ones we are most concerned with are their modes of transportation. Did you know they can teleport?"

"I've seen it done. I can see how that could be an issue." Replied Dan. "Is that who attacked the station?"

"Yes, that was them. We have identified the woman as one of the most active members, Bellatrix LeStrange. The one that was killed was Lucius Malfoy, nice grouping by the way."

"Wasn't me, Harry did that. I hit one of the others, he was to the left of the one that used something that looked like a flaming whip. It cut through the taxi like it was nothing."

"Yea, we could see the person who was using it on the surveillance cameras, but we couldn't see the shots from the angle it had."

"Why was he armed?" Asked Dan, leaving no doubt that this time he wanted answers.

"Ah… Harry. Since you have signed the secrecy agreement I can tell you. He is an important person in their circle, he is known as the Boy-Who-Lived. He supposedly survived one of the worst spells they are capable of, the Killing Curse. His parents were both killed in an attack on their home, he was later somehow lost in the shuffle and grew up Harry Bond. On top of that he is Lord Potter, and the Scion of the Black family making him one of the most powerful members in their government."

"So they were after him, and he was armed because he is a Lord."

"No, they were after another friend of Hermione and Harry, Neville Longbottom. He is a Lord as well, but that woman, Bellatrix, seems to be fixated on him. She was caught and sent to prison after torturing his parents to insanity, they passed away recently in a fire at their hospital."

"They were looking for him then?" His brother nodded.

"As for Harry being armed… It is for his protection, but truthfully what is the difference between it and a wand. Both can kill, with equal ease, and he has had training with it."

"What form of training?" He asked, as the door opened and in walked a doctor along with Hermione and Emma, both smiling at him.

"Good morning Mr. Granger! Let's get a look at you." The look that Dan gave his brother promised that this discussion was not over.

* * *

><p>Harry stood in the hallway, not wanting to intrude on the newly restored family, but he meant to keep his promise to speak with Mr. Ganger just as he had kept his word to watch over Hermione till she was back with her mother.<p>

He paced up and down the hall, running it all through his head again and again. Could he have done anything different? Better?

Then his mind drifted over the thoughts of his friend, Grimaxe. He had lost his life in the first seconds of the ambush but it only drove home that this was no game. Blood had been spilled anew on the battlefield. Harry knew he would not be the last.

"Harry?" The voice startled him, he had lost track of time while thinking.

"Yea, Hermione?"

"Dad wants to talk to you. I'll take Luna down to the cafeteria with Mom and I we'll be back soon." She looked at the pale young man. "He's not going to hurt you." She smiled softly. "You saved our lives, just tell him what you told me it will be fine." She hugged him, then walked down the hall to gather Luna.

"Don't get to far away from the guards.." He said as she walked away, she just waved.

Taking a deep breath he turned and entered Mr. Grangers room. "I hope you are doing better Mr. Granger."

"Harry." He said, dismissing what he said without comment. "How much danger is my family in?" He was looking both at his brother and Harry in turn.

Dave began, "She is a first generation witch. That alone would be enough for her to be targeted by that monster and his group."

Harry nodded, "I've been reading up on Voldemort and his people since my encounter with Quirrell, according to what I found they target those who are first generation, what they call 'mudbloods' or 'halfblood', someone that has a parent that was first generation, like me. Then, she is ranked number one in the school academically, putting a large dent in the belief of Pure Blood Supremacy, the theory that they are better because their 'line' is magical, that along with the friendship she has with me and Lord Longbottom…"

"So her friendship with the tw-" he began angrily, only to be cut off by Dave.

"That's not fair, and you know it!" Dave growled, "They can't help who they are anymore than you could stop Hermione from being first in class! She is what Jesse Owens was during WWII. Exactly what they fear the most, an outsider proving that they are better at every turn!"

"You know that Hermione had trouble before going there!" Dave continued. "She was lost in her books, she had no friends. Now look at her!" He said waving his arm, "She is surrounded by them! That young man has risked his life, on multiple occasions to be sure she is safe! She is in better shape than I have ever seen her, and _she is happy_! Are you going to take that away from her?"

"She could go to-" Dan began.

"Get your head out of your ass!" David snapped. "It is the best school for magic in the UK! Do you think she'd be happy at a substandard school? This is Hermione we are talking about! She would go mad knowing she was not learning the best information. Even worse is the fact that no other school offers the upper classes! She is even planning on getting her standard education, and attend Uni! If it had not been for Harry those last things may not even have been on that list! At least until after her graduation."

"Dan," Dave said quietly, "She's happy. Well figure the rest out.. start training her ourselves. I talked to her she's willing, she wants to be able to keep herself safe, and Harry said there have been a ton of changes at the school, and he said he will speak with some people to help protect the train and the station better."

Harry stepped forward and said, "I can get you in contact with someone to help protect your home, and if need be your office. I'll do anything I can to help."

Dan looked the young man up and down and sighed, he knew that he had lost. He wasn't happy about it but he knew. His daughter was a true mix of his wife and himself, her brains won most of the time but often the Granger backbone pushed its way to the front. "Magical Terrorists, Natzi Magical Terrorist. Fine but you be sure to keep an eye on her." He said in a quiet tone. Harry nodded. "and you start training her," He said to his brother.

Then looking at Harry he said, "I still have a couple of questions."

Harry gulped. "Y-yes sir."

"One, How did you get your firearm? And what training do you have with it?"

"My father and grandfather pulled some strings, that along with my title being recognized by the Crown…" He let the statement fall off.

"So you are a Lord?" Dan asked.

"Yes, or well… I will be, I am 'of age' according to the magical side, but not the non-magical. As it is most of the family lands on the non magical side were presented as parks and such to the government, so the Collage of Arms is still working out the details. As for training, I spent a large chunk of last summer, learning about firearms use and safety." Harry said. "My grandfather Marc-Ange Draco, arranged it."

"Draco? Head of Draco Construction? And Corsica Shipping?" Dan asked giving a surprised look to his brother.

"Among other concerns, yes." Harry answered, moving to a seat near the bed.

"He is an important man." Responded Dan.

"I guess, to me he's just Poppy." Harry said sitting.

"Your driving?

"Poppy likes the Nuremburgring, I learned there. He and his friends taught me." He said with a smile.

"I guess the last question is, why is Luna saying she is moving in with you?" Asked Dave with a smile.

Harry just shrugged, "She is as smart as they come, she could give Hermione a run, but her family is a bit exocentric. First I heard of it was when she was on here way of the train platform, then she said her father is of in Scandinavia or something so what choice do I have? I still can't figure her out." His head dropping into his hands, the brothers looked at each other and grinned.


	50. Chapter 51

Still own nothing, Still Looking for a Beta!

Read! Enjoy! Review!

**CHAPTER 50**

It had taken another two weeks for Harry to be ready to leave again. Rescheduling everything was a trick, but he was sure it would be worth the accelerated and altered plans.

He smiled as he looked out the window of the Air Nippon jet as it passed through the night sky over Japan, you could make out the glow of Tokyo as the plane banked toward its final approach. Luna had proven to be the least of the problems, once she had found her now favorite pastime at the Bond home, the computer. She had taken to it like a fish to water, wanting to know everything and much to her chagrin not getting any answers from those staying in the Bond home.

James had bought it for Harry, but for other than some word processing and spread sheets they knew little of the internal workings. In the end arrangements had been made for her to attend an in depth training camp for the summer, she'd be completely safe there. Who would look for a magical in a technogeek world? Even so she had a guard placed with her.

The Grangers were sent to Marstead House, a rehabilitation hospital frequented by military and _others_, recovering from traumatic experiences. Mr. Granger it would be in physical therapy much of the summer, as the muscle damage done to his back and abdomen was extensive, but the prognoses was good. It also gave them the perfect venue to quote 'get the family in to better health', and spend more time together.

The…. Funeral? Harry didn't think that term quite fit, no the best he could come up with was, wake, was not what he had expected. It was the first time he had seen anything quite like it. The goblins told stories about Grimaxe telling of his accomplishments, his life, and family. Then Harry was called upon to stand with one hand on a pair of spheres, and retell the story of Grimaxe's death. Golden swirls could be seen in each and above him was projected the battle as he saw it.

This was an honor, few not of the goblin race had been given, each sphere stored the memory one would be placed in the goblin vaults, a final remembrance of his contributions to the goblin people. The other would accompany him on his journey, so that he could view the events and see that his death had been avenged by the death of Lucius Malfoy.

The death of Malfoy had taken the Wizarding world by storm. The initial reports of his death were done with, _speculation_ surrounding the cause of his death. This was soon set to rights as the official story was released by the DMLE, that he along with Bellatrix LeStrange and two unidentified men, all of witch were wearing Deatheater robes, had attacked Lord Potter and he was killed in the struggle. Tests on Malfoy's wand showing his liberal use of the Avada Kedvra, or Killing Curse, it was thought that they had sought Lord Potter both because of the troubles between the two families as well as in hopes to find Lord Longbottom, who was not present.

His death was ruled as justifiable, then his assets seized. The next few days proved to be difficult, as within the walls of Malfoy Manor there was found a veritable treasure trove of information, dangerous artifacts and proof of thing that could turn the stomach of the most hardened of men.

Slavery, of the worst kind. Non-magical born witches, and wizards cages in a hidden room under the estate. The cages meant for them were a little over four foot by four foot by four foot, and then stacked into rows. Thankfully they were empty at the time, but looking at the paperwork found nearby and hidden in the office they were being prepared for use.

Lists of names and addresses of those to be taken were found, all of them graduating this term from various schools after completing their OWLS. Their destinations listed, but their buyers unknown, only showing a number of the winning bidder. No list of bidders was found.

The hardest blow came in the form of a journal, the journal of Walburga Black. Inside she detailed the things that went on within the walls of House Black when she was Matriarch. Including the _interesting,_ and illegal way she had come to the guardianship of Andromeda, Narcissa, and Bellatrix, and the lengths she had gone to tie her family together with the rising Voldemort and the things she believed in.

Even what she had done to her own sons to prevent them from having children, because Sirius was a lost cause from the day he met that Bloody Potter, and Reginald, who she killed herself when he had turned his back on Voldemort. Even as she wrote the final words in the journal, dying because of her actions against the head of House Black, she was happy the mantel would be passed on to the heir Malfoy, someone raised from birth in the ways of Pure Blood Beliefs. She had seen to it!

Because of the collaboration against House black, by Malfoy and Walburga, the fortune and holdings of Malfoy were forfeited to Sirius as compensation. Seeing it as bloodied money Sirius and Harry had it put to good use, setting up a fund that helped first generation and those termed as half bloods get a first rate education at Hogwarts, if they so chose. Everything else would wait till Harry retuned from the summers travel.

Trying to push those thoughts away, harry turned from the window to wake his traveling companion. She was turned on her side facing him, dark auburn hair half covering her face, fast asleep. Hard to believe that this was the same girl he had met on the train on his first trip to Hogwarts. Gone was the Pink hair, her face was a touch longer with higher cheekbones giving her a little more regal look, but it was the same button nose and heart shaped face in most ways.

It had been funny to begin with, her reaction to flying in a jet, but after the first hour he had figured out her _enthusiasm_ was something else entirely. She was on a sugar and/or caffeine high. It had taken another hour for her to stop bouncing. Evidently Sirius, who had been visiting Harry after the Malfoy mess, had fed her breakfast that morning, Harry had made a note to him self to kill him when they got home. They had booked an evening flight so they could sleep a good chunk of the way, but this had thrown her she had gotten maybe two hours on the outside on the twelve hour flight.

"Alex." He said while brushing her hair from her face. "wake up. We are almost in Tokyo."

"Looking up at his smiling face through half closed eyes. "Don't wanta! Can't make me!" She mumbled and closed her eyes.

Reaching into the glass he was holding he pulled out a piece of ice, then slipped it into her shirt. She bolted upright, jumping up and down shaking her shirt. Finally reaching in to grab hold of the offensive object only then turning to glare at Harry. who was smiling innocently at her. "You!"

A voice came from behind her "Miss? Please be seated and buckle in, we will be continuing our descent shortly." Said the stewardess.

As she sat Harry held up his hand as if in surrender. "I had to wake you up! It was ether that or a kiss! Think of it this way now you are fully awake to see the beauty that is Tokyo." He said pointing out the window at the glowing landscape below.

"Rather had the kiss." She said quietly under her breath,

"What was that, Alex? Are you going back to sleep?" He asked looking back from the window. "Your mumbling speak up."

Shaking her head she answered, "Just saying I'm going to kill Sirius when I see him! Wow, and I thought London was bright."

"You won't believe the city center, and just you wait till you see New York's Time square!" Harry said turning back to the window.

"I thought it was LA next?"

"Hawaii, is after this. We meet the family then for a very busy three days. We need a full two weeks worth of photos and stuff in that time, folowed LA, for the same. Then we split up, you for more training, and I've got a few things to take care of. We'll meet up in New York on August tenth and be there a few days, then Washington DC a few more days then home. Pretty full schedule, we need t be back before the 24th."

He was right it was busy, she tugged her seat belt tight as her ears popped signaling the continuation of their descent.

* * *

><p>They stood looking down on the city, the view offered by the Peninsula hotel was one of Harry's favorites. He loved Tokyo, and had spent much of his time here before returning to England. A smile crept to his lips as he thought about old friends, he wondered how they were.<p>

He looked at his companion and decided it was time to get on with their work. "Alex, why don't you go get a shower? I'll make arrangements for breakfast." He said nodding toward one of the suite's bathrooms, then walking to the TV and switching it to the local news.

He put his suitcase on the bed in his room, and flipped it open. Pulling out a pair of hi-top Nikes he tossed the right on the bed and flipped the other over in his hand, tugging at the rubber sole's edge it pulled away an he looked at the electronics inside. Flipping a small switch he started to walk around the rooms slowly stopping every few feet to give the bug sweeper a chance to work.

Clearing his own room first he then went into the sitting room, and then into Tonk's/Alex's room. He was looking down studying the readout when he heard the scream, looking up a smile came to his lips.

Laughing Harry asked, "Problem Alex?"

"Bloody Hell, Harry! At least warn a girl!" She said sticking her head around the corner. "What are you doing in here any way?"

"Um… Hoping for a kiss goodnight?" He said looking away from the wet woman a few steps away, and going back to the instrument. Holding up a finger and pointing at it, then putting a finger to his lips and shaking his head.

"Well at least you could wait till I had some knickers on, cutie." She said her head disappearing behind the door again.

He went on around her room then traded places with the towel wrapped woman and worked around the bathroom. Completing the circuit he started back toward his room, passing a now dressed for bed Tonks, he winked at her and held his finger over his lips again, and walked back to his room. Picking up the other shoe he removed the sole and went to the phone, making an adjustment to it he placed it over the handset and held it to his ear.

He pressed nine then waited. "Room service? Breakfast for two at 8:30, yogurt, fresh fruit, eggs over easy, toast and coffee." He then rung off and looked at the sole.

"We're clean, for the time being. Don't say anything confidential unless I've swept again." Harry went to replace everything.

Tonks followed him. "So… You really are.."

"Yea, I am…" He trailed off. "And you will be too, if my father and M have their way. You are a logical choice, beautiful, smart, and an extraordinary skill set. Where you need the non-magical training, I need the magical. We start on that the second we get back to Hogwarts."

"But there is no place to train, and I need training in that is well. I only completed half of the Auror training."

"That's exactly right," Harry said sitting on the bed. "no bad habits. By the time we get back a training schedule and assessment of skills to be focused on. As for a space, I mite know just the place."

Tonks looked stunned, then sat next to him. "They want me to do what they…you do?"

"Something like that I imagine." Harry answered.

"I'm… I'm not sure I like that idea.. I wanted to be an Auror…" she said.

"And I'm sure that will still be an option, but for right now you know what we are up against and Amelia agreed that it needs to be done. You went through training, and did well, if Her Majesty has her way the Aurors will be restructured to be more along the lines of the non-magical Police service and she will still need a presence within it. You will be first in line if you want it. Unfortunately, for now, you will need to put up with my life." He said wit a lopsided smile.

She smiled back, "And what was this about a goodnight kiss?"

He pecked her on the cheek, "We've got an early morning and it's late, rain check?" He said grabbing his bag and heading through the door to his bathroom, leaving a muttering Tonks behind.


	51. Chapter 52

**CHAPTER 52**

It was six thirty when Harry's watch chimed him awake. He stood and stretched and an evil grin split his face as he thought about how to wake the woman in the room across from him. Slipping into her room he let his eyes adjust, then slowly leaned over her bed, placing his lips on hers he began a soft kiss. Slowly making it more demanding, he felt her arms coil around his neck as she deepened the kiss, as he broke away her eyes fluttered open.

"Morning Alex," he said in a hushed tone. "I always collect my rain checks. He leaned closer again, and she could feel her heart begin to pound, he whispered "Too bad you slept in."

He slipped away from her and quickly stood, flipping on the light making her groan. "Come on, we have a run to take." He turned on his heel and left a very flustered woman in his wake.

Harry smiled as he stepped from the stairway. Two quick turns and they were across the lobby and into the morning air. He set a brisk pace, and took them out on a course across the park and toward the Tokyo tower.

His eyes scanned for danger as he ran. Two had been in the lobby, another one had fallen in behind them as they ran, that one seemed to be content to follow at a distance but Harry had seen him three times in the park as he used other trails that ran parallel or were short cuts, then a couple more times in shop windows as they headed toward the tower.

When the pair stepped in front of them he was ready, two quick strikes and the male no longer held his silenced pistol, it clattered and slid out into traffic, the second strike connected hard under the man's chin and lifted him off his feet to land hard.

Tonks was only a little slower to react, her eyes focused on the blade in the woman's hand and she twisted her body as she continued her approach, to let the gleaming piece of silver pass her left side and bring her elbow up for a hard strike to her attacker's temple. Then she grabbed the arm and gave a hard twist relieving the other of her blade, only to feel a knee connect with her unprotected side and a hand grab her from behind.

Harry spun to see the man that had been following them grab Tonks and lift his knee hard into her ribs. He lashed out, barreling into the man tackling him into the wall of the building and pulling him close he slammed his fist into him repeatedly.

The woman that attacked ran, she took off toward the tower. Harry glanced over his shoulder, "Go get her! We need to question them I'll handle these two! Meet me as soon as you can!" Tonks nodded once then ran after her fleeing prey.

'This girl is quick" Tonks thought as they ran down the street. At the next corner her prey took a right and ran down the entrance to the subway. Descending the stairs they dodged the morning commuters, an increasingly difficult task, and by the time they reached the gates Tonks had lost sight of her.

She moved through the now pressing crowd, twisting her head looking for her adversary, passing over each person in turn and moving toward the platforms. She caught a glimpse of her as she walked onto the next platform and onto a train. Redoubling her efforts she pushed her way through and onto the same train just as it pulled away.

She made her way into the next car, the one she had seen her quarry enter, and to a place next to the first set of doors watching her closely for signs she was leaving the train.

Two exits later the woman stepped off cradling her right wrist, Tonks grinned at least she had hurt the little bint! She followed down the quiet tiled hall-ways till she realized the woman had stopped at the far end and was turning to look at her.

The girl's right hand dropped to her side and she shook it vigorously, then smiled a childlike smile at Tonks. It was a trap! She had been led here! Tonks glanced around and realized that she had sprung it in the perfect location, the middle of an empty hallway! No cover and no place to run!

The girl waved and the ground shifted under Tonks, she began to fall.

The fall was disorienting, flashing lights then total darkness as she slid forward on the smooth metal. She had no idea how far she had gone, then suddenly, it was over. She was spit out of an opening to land in an overstuffed chair, that she immediately scrambled out of only to be confronted with two different notes of laughter, One was a chuckle, it belonged to an older man sitting on the far side of a large desk with a bank of television monitors behind him, each showing her progress in the pursuit of her adversary, right up to her sliding into this room and landing in a very un-lady like way.

The other voice she knew well, looking at him her lips tightened into a thin line and her brow furrowed. She couldn't kill him but it wouldn't go against her oath if she beat the crap out of him…would it? She stomped her way over to him, her eyes ablaze teeth clenched.

"Harry!" she yelled. "I'm gonna.." She started to reach for him.

Harry lifted his arms in surrender, and pointed to the man behind the desk. "It was Tiger! He set this up!"

The name made her stop in her tracks, she had been briefed on the man before they left. Tiger Tanaka Head of the Japanese Secret Service, roughly analogous to M in their country. "Think of it as a rite of passage," Harry said with a smile, "he did the same thing to my father, then to me the first time we met him." His smile grew, as he looked at Tiger. "You're right, it is funny."

Tonks scowled at him then turned to face Tiger. "So… how do you feel about me?" she asked.

"Why, I love you! Of course!" he said with a smile, and Harry laughed again. She looked at him oddly, the challenge phrase was answered correctly.

"It's an old family joke." Harry said. "Alex Harper, Tiger Tanaka."

"It is a pleasure to meet you Harper-san," said the man behind the desk extending his hand.

"It is nice to meet you too Mr. Tanaka," she said taking his hand.

"Call me Tiger please."

"Then you must call me Alex."

"Very well. Harry I have arranged for you to meet with someone this afternoon. Mi Lei will be at the Peninsula at three. I wish that we had had more information before now but as you know we have had some difficulties dealing with the IWC."

"I more than understand, after dealing with the Wizengamot, Dumbledore, and some of the other things. We have not made this a general announcement, but we have found that the society in England and perhaps other places under IWC have been deliberately isolated and factions within are doing their best to not only keep the populous small but tightly controlled. It seemed to gain a serious foothold in the early 1700s, with the slow subjugation and destruction of the most politically powerful families."

"It seems to be closely tied with the rise of the IWC, and the decision of the Crown to form the government that is in place in the United Kingdom." Harry continued, "We know that Dumbledore, he was the head of the Wizengamot, the IWC, and Headmaster of Hogwarts, is one of the ones pushing that agenda. He was also enacting a selective breeding program, one that puts political power in the hands of a very few families, families that were being groomed to play their parts."

Tonks continued, "We have even found damning evidence that first generation, those who would have a vested interest in seeing things change, were being removed from society, some by use of slave trade as soon as their 'quote' education was complete." She could see the disgust in Tiger's eyes. "Her Majesty's government is keeping a close eye on those that complete their education starting this year, the ways that it was being achieved are now known to us and steps are being taken to see it will not happen again."

Harry nodded then spoke, "As disgusting as the idea of it all is, we must proceed slowly. We can not afford to lose the headway we have made." Tiger nodded his understanding. "We also know that the terrorist group led by the so called Lord Voldemort, aka Tom Marvolo Riddle, is trying to make a return. One of his lieutenants, Bellatrix LeStrange escaped from Azkaban Prison, and has had at least some contact with her Death Eater friends. The attack at Kings Cross Station was them."

"It sounds like you have a large mess there my young friend." said Tanaka.

"At the very least, we are working on this from several angles and have allies in several key places. It will be a long battle."

* * *

><p>Narcissa Black walked down the road toward a well kept home, she sighed to herself. Sirius had asked her to help out before telling her that it would be the day after Draco came home, but then again what would she be doing this morning if not this? Sitting at the table in the new house waiting for the boy to wake up?<p>

He hadn't gotten up on his first day till noon! But, she understood. He would only be home and off from school for two weeks, she smiled to herself as she thought about how he had grown. Sirius had been correct in enrolling Draco… or Drake as he preferred now, into Salem as a working student.

The deal they had reached with Salem had been that any money earned would be placed in a trust for him to be payable after graduation, though he did not know that and thought the work was part of his schooling. It was sad to her that she got to see him as rarely as she did but he seemed to be growing into a fine young man.

He had taken the news of his father's death hard at first, but when he was told of the things that were found below the manor his disgust was evident, he was glad to be rid of the name Malfoy. He had seen, with his own eyes, the depths that the man was capable of.

It had taken a while but he had come out of his shell, and had good friends. His calls home were always upbeat and usually filled with discussions of the new things he had seen and done. Pictures showed him smiling, and his grades were improving.

She pulled herself out of her thoughts as she approached the door of a tidy home with two floors, fresh flowers in the window boxes, the name _Granger _written in bronze on the mail box.

Knocking she waited patiently, and as the door opened she was greeted by a tall muscular man. His hair was dark brown as were his eyes, his smile was wide and pleasant. "Mr. Granger? I am Narcissa Black, I was asked by Sirius to come by in his stead, he has been held up with some family business. I hope you do not mind if I take his place?"

"No, not at all," he said taking the hand offered by the stunning lady. "Please come inside. The warders will be arriving shortly."

"Are your wife and daughter here Mr. Granger?"

"Wi-? Oh," he stuttered then chuckled, "You mean Emma and Hermione?" Narcissa nodded, her hand inching toward her wand. "Um, you have the wrong Mr. Granger, Emma is married to my twin brother Dan, I'm David. I'm taking care of the place while they are away and Dan is recovering."

Relaxing somewhat after looking over his shoulder at the photos on the wall, she asked "Recovering? Was he in an accident? I hope it was not serious."

"It was, he had a lacerated liver, and muscle damage in his back and stomach. You heard about the attack at King's Cross?" he asked.

Her eyes filled with tears, her hand came up to cover her mouth with a sudden realization. "The attack on Harry! They were there? Sirius never said who else was with them, just…"

"Yes, Harry got them out, them and the Lovegood girl."

Narcissa moved to the side and sat heavily on the couch in the sitting room. "Love- Xeno and Selene's girl…" Her face became hard as tears fell, "If he wasn't dead I'd kill him myself! Damn them! Damn all of them!"

She pulled a handkerchief from her bag and dabbed her eyes, "The one killed in the attack, Lucius Malfoy, he was my husband till Lord Black rescinded the marriage for breach. He was a dreadful man. My sister Bellatrix was also involved. I shed no tears for his death, please do not misunderstand. You said the Lovegood girl, Luna, was there as well? And she too got away?" David nodded, and she noticeably relaxed. "Good, I am glad Luna is safe, with him gone I can finally take my place as her Godmother."

"He was stopping you?" he asked.

"Yes, Lucius despised the family, and derived pleasure from keeping me away, but enough of that. How is it that you know of the magical world and have not had the knowledge removed by the Ministry?" she asked drying her eyes.

"Oddly enough, it is part of my job. I am with the part of the government that coordinates with the Minister," he said, sitting across from her.

"Oh, I didn't know there was any one like that."

"Several of us, don't fret though we are bound by our own version of your secrecy laws." he chuckled.

"I see. So, you are helping your brother by arranging protection?" she asked.

"Yes, more or less, the people coming to ward the place were chosen by Harry and a family member needs to be here, so here I am."

"He also asked for us, Sirius and I to look everything over and make any suggestions we thought necessary." A knock on the door, interrupted them, and David stood.

"That must be them," he said, answering the door.

After reviewing the contracts David and Narcissa enjoyed a quiet morning as the house was warded. After it was completed he began to escort her to the front door. He started to move but stopped and looked back at Narcissa. "Ms. Black? If it is not too forward may I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Would you like to have dinner with me some time?" he asked with a gentle smile.


	52. Chapter 53

As always, I own nothing!

Read, Enjoy, Review.

And now Beta as edited by pazed!

**Chapter 53**

The ride from the hotel had begun in a strained silence, till the chuckle from Harry had both girls glaring at him as they sat at a stoplight. "Alex, meet Mi Lei. Lei this is Alex Harper." The pair stared icily at each other then back at Harry, Tonks's hand twitched. "Hey! It wasn't me! Tiger thought it up!" he said raising his hands defensively. "You know that Lei! He did it to me and Dad! Anyway, think of it as a learning experience."

Lei sighed and shook her head, moving the gaze of her deep brown eyes over to Alex. "He is correct Harper-san, it does seem to be a form of tradition when dealing with _them_. Every time they have returned to Japan we have attacked them within twenty-four hours, it is good exercise."

Alex continued to glare at Harry, her eyes thinned. "You knew about it!" she growled at him, "You were testing me!"

"To be honest, yes." Harry said a serious tone filling his voice, the Harry that had been joking with her moments before had disappeared. In his place sat a man of tempered steel, his eyes bored into her and made her feel like a misbehaving child. "You failed."

She looked down, somewhere deep inside it hurt that she had disappointed him. "I'm sor-"

Harry cut her off, "Don't apologize, learn from it." His features softened some, as she looked up at him. "What did you do wrong?"

She looked at him, then at Mi Lei, "I pursued her into an obvious trap, I had fixated on her and lost track of my surroundings."

Harry nodded, "I know that you do not have much training in surveillance or counter-surveillance, and we will be working on that, but the problems started much earlier. You missed them in the lobby, the tactics they used there were textbook." He looked at Lei. "They knew I was traveling with someone they didn't know and used that to give me a chance to call them off if you were not someone that could handle the situation." Lei smiled at him in the rearview mirror.

Harry continued, "It was a tactic used by most law enforcement groups world wide. It uses more personnel than is normally available to those like us, but it also allows the situation to be easily controlled." He explained, "Other groups use it as well, it is best suited for the capture of the target by overwhelming them with numbers. We will work on your observation skills so you will know most of the things to look for."

She nodded absently, "Your next mistake was following her into the tube." She looked perplexed. "It is easy to lose someone in a crowd, and you kind of stood out."

She blushed, "More than _kind of_, Harry. I'm a head taller than most, a different race, and dressed for a run… Bloody hell…" she said, "I was just asking for it."

"Take the lesson to heart, you did well though keeping up with her. She's a slippery one, she slipped past me plenty in the past."

Lei chuckled then spoke, "Yes but the last time you were eight, I have not done so good recently and surveillance is my specialty."

Tonks smiled, as she said "It's the way you move."

"Excuse me?" Lei asked.

She had looked up at the mirror in time to see Harry scowling at his partner. "The way you move. It is very subtle, but you are slightly off-balance and step heavier on your left foot. It gives you a distinctive sway in your step pattern."

"Alex!" Harry said grumpily.

"So that is how he always knows it is me!" Lei said in triumph. "Next time dinner will not so easily be won Mr. Bond!"

"Damn it Alex! Lei is a great cook too!" Harry said as he smiled at the woman, then offered an explanation. "It was a game we started playing when I was younger. Kind of a modified hide-and-seek, Lei would use disguises and skill and I would find her in a crowd."

"It improved your observation skills, did it not?" Harry nodded, "And you Ms Harper, Harry has known me for years, how did you stumble on this information so quickly?" she asked looking at Harry accusingly.

"I know how to watch people, i-" she stuttered for a moment not wanting anyone to know about her Metamorphic abilities as well as the fact she been forbidden to use them unless directed for the time being to let here settle into the 'young Alex' persona, "It's just something I picked up from my family."

"A skill I think that will serve you well," said Lei. "But back to the topic, you will need to learn when the risks outweigh the gains."

"She's right Alex," Harry picked up, "We are solders in a shadow war but this does not mean we are easily expendable, make the _other_ guy die for their beliefs. The risks had risen to high for the potential gain at the train, you are in a city you know little of with few personal resources. We will start discussing possible scenarios, whenever we have the chance, but for the record, your running togs are not the most subtle of clothing." He smiled. "But you're doing remarkably well for the training and experience you have."

"And just how long have you been training Ms. Harper?" asked Lei.

"Less than seven months…" Alex answered. Harry and Tonks both thought they would die before she regained control of the vehicle.

* * *

><p>Emma was an angry woman, the discussion she had had the night before with her husband had ended, for the first time that she could remember easily, with her sleeping in another room. If she could have she would have kicked him out of the bedroom, 'Damn doctors' she thought.<p>

Not that she had gotten much sleep, she had spent much of the night pacing. Her thoughts whirled and fought for most of the night till she had, at long last, fallen into a fitful sleep on the couch. Her dreams were filled with laughing people hidden behind silver masks, chasing her through hospital hallways.

She awoke with a jerk as her daughter, Hermione, touched her arm. The girl smiled at her and offered her one of her only vices, coffee. Black and sweet just as God intended, in her opinion.

"Morning Mum," Hermione said, sipping from her own cup.

"Good morning, sweetheart. You're up early," she said looking at the clock that read 7:00am.

Hermione laughed, "I've been up a while. Harry has us running and exercising every morning, I just finished. There are a few nice running trails offered here, I did 5km and the exercises Harry taught us.

Emma was stunned, her daughter ran 5km? Willingly? "I didn't know you were doing that."

"Yes," Hermione sat next to her mother. "It started not too long after we heard of the escape from wizard prison. Neville asked Harry for help. Harry is quite gifted at a form of martial arts, Aikido."

"I don't believe I have heard of it," said Emma.

"Harry said he has been learning it from a family friend, and he practices it every day, said something about it helps him feel centered," she said shrugging her shoulders, "I asked him to teach me." Emma tensed, nervous. "He told me that you and Dad would need to give your permission first."

Her mother relaxed slightly. "And you want to learn it?"

"I'd like to, I need to be able to defend myself," Hermione offered.

"And I guess you have already discussed this with your, _Father!_" Emma spat standing and beginning to pace the room. "He said he was done with this! Then David shows up and…and…" She folded in on herself, collapsing onto the floor crying, a confused Hermione ran to her side to hold her.

"He said he was through…." Emma said quietly sobbing into her daughter's arms. "He promised…"

"Who did Mum? What's going on?" she asked her sobbing mother.

A man's voice answered from the door, "I did, I made a promise to your mother the year that you were born, one that I'm going to break." Hermione thought her heart would shatter looking at the pain that his eyes held, he looked weak, pale, and for the first time in her life she saw not Daniel Granger Dentist but Captain Granger Soldier, his arms at his side, back ramrod straight.

"Daddy?" she said in a small voice.

He moved gingerly to the chair nearby, and sat gently. "Pumpkin..." he started, he then sat for a moment and began again. "You know I was SAS, like Uncle David." Hermione nodded, he looked around nervously. "We, the SAS, we serve at the pleasure of the Crown…" His eyes settled on her, "I've been recalled to duty."

Hermione gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth. "B-b-but, Daddy… Why?"

He sighed, and looked at her. This was not a discussion he was prepared for, he knew it would be a serious blow to her as well as their family. "Because… because.." This was harder than he thought it would be, he struggled for a moment more then did the only thing he could, he told her the truth, "Because you are a witch, Pumpkin."

Hermione's legs collapsed from under her, and she fell the rest of the way to the floor. "B-because of m-me?" She looked back and forth between her parents, tears forming in her eyes. "Why?"

Her dad sighed, "Hermione, it is nothing _you_ did." He placed a hand on Emma, she looked up at him. He smiled at her. "It was just the wrong place at the wrong time. The Crown has been having problems for some time with the Wizarding world."

He took a steadying breath and continued, "Because of our background, David and I have been approached to help." He held up a hand to keep Hermione from asking the questions that were already taking shape. "Our government is, rightfully, quite worried by the abilities of witches and wizards."

Hermione gave him a questioning look. "Think about it Sweetheart." He sat quietly and waited for her as she chewed on her bottom lip, a sign she was lost deep in thought.

He knew his daughter well, and he could see in her mannerisms, the patterns connecting themselves as the knowledge she had fell into place. "…untraceable movements that bypass defenses…..potions that can let you be anyone…creation and destruction with the flick of a wand." He watched as she glanced down at the stick of wood next to her mother's purse and saw it for what it was.. a weapon, as much as tool. He then watched as more things clicked into place and a small part of her childhood fractured early and fell away. "They don't think of themselves as British," she said with a small voice. "Their only loyalty is to themselves. An entire hidden culture, with unknown allegiances… I was stunned when no one knew who the Prime Minister was."

Dan nodded slowly, "The Crown needs to know what a wizard is capable of." He started slowly trying to make sure they both understood this was for their safety as well. "What would happen if some of those Death Eaters, people like those outside the station, could get hold of a nuclear weapon?"

"They_ couldn't_!" replied Emma, "It's impossible! They are protected on bases or bunkers," she said filled with conviction.

Hermione shook her head, "Apparition, Portkeys…bloody Hell… even a summoning charm may be able to do it."

Dan continued, "That's not even counting shipboard weapons or those in transport."

"There are other protections!" Emma pleaded. "Retinal IDs. Pass codes."

Hermione looked sadly at her mother, then father. "Polyjuice, Veritaserum…the descriptions…hell the formula for Polyjuice is in my school books."

"Polyjuice?" Emma asked.

Hermione looked back to her mother, "It's a potion, fairly difficult. I could probably make it given time and a little practice, it uses a hair from a person…"she really didn't want to say it, but continued, "to turn the user into a perfect duplicate of another person."

"…a hair…" Emma went pale. "It can replicate the DNA?"

"I-I I'm not sure… I don't think it has ever been tested."

"And this Veritaserum?" Emma asked.

"A truth potion. The drinker will answer any question," Hermione answered.

"Dear God…" Emma gasped, and looked at her husband.

"That's why I couldn't say no Emms. They don't believe there is any immediate danger of something like that happening, given the general lack of knowledge of the outside world, but they can't take any chances." He could see it in her eyes, with Hermione's help he had conveyed what he had so poorly tried to tell her the night before. "All I'll be doing is passing on some information, nothing hard to get, copies of Hermione's books… whatever, nothing too dangerous. They just want to be able to understand what a witch or wizard is capable of, and for our protection they have offered any help they can," he said with a smile.

"Mum," Hermione said, "maybe it's for the best." She gave her mother a little grin. "I'm a first generation witch, and that makes me a target in some people's eyes. I'm safe at school, the wards are some of the best known and with all of the changes it is probably one of the safest places in Britain." She looked at each of them in turn, "Now there is help outside, someone to help protect you and Daddy."

Emma turned to Dan. "David is taking care of a few things before we get home. Wards on the house, along with a hidden panic room, a monitored alarm system, the same at the office. A response team will be there in minutes."

Emma nodded her head slowly, "No unnecessary risks?" she asked.

"Not a chance," Dan said, as he offered her his hand. Slowly the couple rose and headed toward the bedroom. "Hermione, your mother and I didn't sleep much last night. We're going to lie back down, can you ask for our rehabilitation appointments to be moved to this afternoon when the front desk opens?"

"Ok," she replied, as she picked up her coffee and moved to the chair next to the window that overlooked the small pond glistening in the morning sun. She sat down heavily, the weight of the discussion with her parents settling deeply within her.

As she thought she lifted her cup, only to find the large mug's contents cold 'How long have I been sitting here?' she thought absently as she stood and looked at the clock that read 9:38. She moved to the kitchenette and poured herself a fresh cup, and sipped deeply as she leaned against the counter. She had been connecting the dots ever since her parents went to bed, every line seemed to connect to one common thread. An enigma that she was going to find out more about no matter what. "Harry, what is your secret?" she asked herself, as she set down the coffee and walked to call the front desk.

Hey, my first post note!

I thought I'd address a couple of things. First my version of Bond (the elder one), he is a mix of the books and the movies (mostly because some of the Roger Moore ones ran off the rails as it were Chough….View to a Kill…Chough) and follows the timeline up until the new Casino Royal, put them at the beginning where they belong till after Skyfall. He looks as he is described in the books, including the scar (if he had darker hair and the scar Daniel Craig is fairly close).

As for the Martial Arts Harry has learned, he has gone through the long version of training described by Tiger in Ninjutsu, a real martial art with roots in Kendo, Akido, Judo, and Karate using Tai Sabaki (Full Body Movement) with a heavy use of stealth. He just calls it Akido as does James as it is a world wide style, besides who would believe it if he said he was a Ninja?

Hope you had fun! Keep Reading!


	53. Chapter 54

I'm off on a vacation soon, two weeks in Alaska, and I promised no computer so… it will be an extra week possibly two or so till the new chapter is up (depends on work when I'm back).

I own nothing!

Read! Enjoy! Review!

Edited by the amazing Pazed.

**Chapter 54**

Harry didn't know what he expected but this was not it. Maybe a Shinto shrine or possibly one of the fabled monasteries, but this? It was almost enough to make him laugh. He stepped out of Mi Lei's Honda Accord and shook his head, magic and technology don't mix was the commonly held belief in Britain but here was the truth of the matter. These people had embraced rather than feared change.

Before them stood a mammoth steel and glass building, the company's logo and name in a raised metal script near the entrance; it simply said… SONY. Mi Lei smiled at him, "Yes, Bond-san you have a question?"

"Many, I think. Shall we start with the obvious?" He said indicating the logo with a gesture.

"Hai, that is probably the best place to start." She began walking toward the building leading them inside. "This company's parent was founded in the wake of WWII. An advancement in electronics and plastics catapulted it onto the world stage in 1955, the transistor radio. Within the next few years it became one of the largest electronics manufactures in the world. It is publicly traded, but the controlling shares are held by the initial investors. They have graciously offered us use of their facilities for these introductions."

"I see," said Harry, "a controlled environment."

"I am afraid you are correct Bond-san, they are wary of your allegiances," Lei conceded, then continued. "Most companies here have contact with the magicals in some form." She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "We know of your Statute of Secrecy, and agree with it for a few parts…but it would not work here."

She pushed the button for the elevator. "Our society is interwoven with the magical, and it has been for centuries, it was common knowledge that the Emperor had a court mystic as an advisor. It is woven into every corner of our lives mundane or not. We had to find a way to move forward as the times demanded coming away from a dark time in our history, and mold it with what we were sure was the future."

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment, "So when you figured out how to protect electronics from magic..."

She smiled at him again, "As always one of my best students! Correct! It was after the war, we noticed some of the newer military radios from the US not being affected by one of our major shrines. A few months later the first of the transistor radios cased in Bakelite, an early plastic, with vulcanized rubber gaskets went on sale. They were a hit, and we began selling other products soon after. Sony like many others contributed much, and they have stabilized our future."

They rode the elevator in silence and stepped into a well-appointed office area on the twentieth floor. A few twisting halls and they were met by a pair of men who could only be security, and after a thorough search they were allowed entry into the board room. Chrome and black leather dominated the room, at the center was a U-shaped glass table surrounded on the outside by chrome and leather chairs. The arrangement was designed to focus all attendees on the chosen speaker. The smell of fresh coffee filled the air.

Bond strolled across the unoccupied room and peered out onto the grounds below, and further to the rail yard and construction beyond. He was soon joined by Tonks. "How long do you think they will make us wait?"

He shrugged, "It may be a while." He sipped the coffee she handed him.

"Harry? What was so funny when we pulled up?" she asked.

"Think about it, Alex," he offered. "A bunch of magicals wanting a meeting in an electronics company, and most of our people tend to stay away from anything new. I just find it funny that we haven't embraced technology at all."

She looked at him sharply, "It's not like we have access to these things at home, all of what she spoke of is unavailable to the people."

Harry shifted his weight and scanned the room in the glass's reflection. "Really? You've been around a lot of electronics recently, has any of it shorted out?"

"I haven't been casting anything, I don't even have a wand right now," she said with a huff.

A strong voice came from behind them, "And if you had been the magic itself would not cause a problem, the effects may though…." The pair turned to face him. He was older, somewhere in his mid fifties and wore a dark silk suit with a golden yellow tie. "I am Nakamura Yoshi, I have been asked to be your initial point of contact."

Harry moved closer then bowed, "It is good to meet you, Mr. Nakamura. I am Harry Bond, this is my travelling companion Alex Harper," he said indicating Tonks who bowed as well, as Harry presented him with his business card.

After looking at the card he placed it in his chest pocket and returned the bow, though not as deeply. "It seems odd that your government would choose one so young to speak for them."

Harry nodded, "I find myself in a unique situation. How much do you know of what is happening in the United Kingdom?"

"Very little, information about your home country is suspect at best as much of it comes from the Daily Prophet." He motioned toward the seats around the table.

"Then what you know is more than a little suspect, that paper is on the whole, unreliable," Harry states, with a slight chuckle.

"As to your thoughts Harper-san," said the older man, "I know that products from Sony and others are available throughout the United Kingdom and Europe. In fact, they are quite popular."

"That is certainly true Mr. Nakamura," Harry said stepping in before Tonks could speak. "Unfortunately our magical culture has decided to segregate itself from the outside world," he said sadly. "They have missed many things, and are under the impression that they have no need of anything a non-magical can offer."

"That is such a loss," he replied. "The very advancements that have allowed us to begin to flourish were created by an Englishman." Tonks looked at him stunned. "It's true," he said with a smile, "Plastic's birthplace was in England, along with the vulcanized rubber."

"You mean these advances could have been made by us?" Tonks asked incredulously.

"The Americans did, we did, others have or are," he replied apologetically. "But, I suspect that you are not here to arrange for an export license. How may I be of assistance?"

"The British government, the non-magical one, is seeking allies among the magicals. We understand that… issues have come from dealing without implied representation within the community, the IWC. The Crown as well as Her Majesty's government wish to relate that the IWC does not speak with Her authority."

"And you do?" he asked warily.

"I do, as Lord Potter-Black Earl of Suffolk and Nottingham, for this instance of introduction alone I speak for Her. I have contact information for those within our government, that will be available at your convenience to begin formal diplomatic relations," Harry answered back with a regal tone.

"I see," he said looking thoughtfully at the young man.

"As Harry Bond, I have other information and a natural curiosity I hope you can arrange to help me with," he said with a smile.

He chuckled at the young man. "I begin to see the odd situation you find yourself in Bond-san, you seem to walk a fine line." He noted the young man's shrug. "What information do you wish to pass on and what request would you have of me?"

That discussion ran late into the day.

* * *

><p>Sirius paced up and down the entry hall, the sound of his steps a stiff staccato. He was waiting on his remaining best friend Remus Lupin, they were the last of the living Marauders. He couldn't help smiling at the thought of them, James and later Lily, himself and Remus, his adopted family. Those who took him in and made things better after his escape from home. The Potters had given him a place to live and allowed him to finish at Hogwarts, and helped him stay away from the crazy woman that was his mother.<p>

Remus was all that was left, the only other member had become a traitor, Peter Pettigrew. He fought to relax from the anger that even thinking his name caused. Today was a day for celebration, his friend, his brother in all but blood had been found, and was coming home.

When they had located him he was living as a non-magical. Refusing to have anything to do with the world that had taken away his family, his pack. It had nearly destroyed him, in the space of a few hours the young man/werewolf had lost everything that mattered, his pack and the child he considered as his own.

From the information they found he had spent years drifting, living on short term jobs and booze. Only in the last couple of years had he started pulling himself together. He had a job as a night security guard, and was trying to clean himself up. He was just glad the investigator they hired had found him and he had responded to the letter they sent, it would be good to see him again.

When the doorbell rang Sirius froze, thoughts raged in his head all of them conflicting. Could he do this? Would his old friend accept what had happened? Would he hate him for what he had done? Could he forgive him? He took a deep breath, walked unsteadily to the door and pulled it open.

On the other side of the threshold stood a man with light brown thinning hair and a mustache that matched, his light blue eyes shone with tears, his clothes were a little threadbare but to Sirius none of that mattered a smile grew on both of their faces.

"Hello, Padfoot," said Remus.

"Good to see you, Moony," Sirius replied. "I- I-" Sirius had no time to say more as Moony gathered him into a hug as he stepped into the house. Relieved he hugged his friend back.

He felt a sharp pain in his side. It was quick and passed almost as quickly as it came, as he pulled away from the hug he saw the dagger in his friend's hand. It was coated in blood, his blood. He staggered to the side collapsing against the wall, and started to slide down it toward the floor.

He looked up at his friend's face, his eyes were glassy, and he had an unconcerned almost serene look on his face where Sirius had expected to see rage. He tried to draw a deep breath but didn't seem able to as he finally completed his fall to the floor. Then he watched in horror as Moony turned the silver blade on himself and plunged it into his chest.

His eyes showed a sudden awareness. "Sirius?" was the last word he spoke before he crumbled to the floor.


	54. Chapter 55

I own Nothing!

Thank you to the amazing pazed for the edit!

I'm back from vacation so wit no further ado, ON WITH THE SHOW!

Read! Enjoy! Review!

**Chapter 55**

James had had a long day. It seemed strange to him that when he was in the field his days had never drained him this much. True they had been more painful, with the bruises and occasional broken bone, stab wound or bullet, physically draining? Yes, but the mental drain… that was something new.

He locked up his office, and shrugged on his suit jacket as he walked down the fluorescent bulb lit passage, his mind on the reports and photos that had littered his desk during the day. Most of it a request from Jacob Seaton head of station L Mexico, to investigate the murder of an asset. An odd one at that, the man had been in a safe house hidden in the mountains, the assassin had to have been well versed in the arts of surveillance and stealth as he had avoided all of the electronics, showing no sign of tampering with them, as well as the guards and physical defenses.

It was troubling as the man was to be moved to a CIA transport station soon, and once safely away he was to give the Americans information pertaining to the launch of a satellite. The only information he had given them was it was to be the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite, otherwise known as ACTS, that was going to be set into orbit by the crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery in July. He had been on the phone on and off all day with Felix Liter trying to sort out what little they had from the initial contact and debriefing. It was thin, very thin. In the end they had decided that it would be best if two independent investigations could be launched, working the problems from both ends.

Since the British had the initial contact with the asset, they would work from that end. James had chosen Mark Grant, 002, he was one of their most seasoned operators and familiar with the area. During his briefing Mark had suggested he use a cutout, reporting to someone not connected with station L, and James had agreed. He had arranged for the reports to go through section J in the Caribbean, specifically Commander Ross, someone he had personally worked with.

After traveling up in the hidden lift and exiting into the lobby area into the public version of Universal Exports, he made his way to the parking structure next door. He had just emerged from the second floor stairwell when he became sure he was being followed. He moved along the aisle of parked cars his head down slightly eyes scanning the way in front of him, darting to look between each car as he passed. He counted three, one to the front and one to each side. The one in front of him was between him and the Jag, the others were moving to cut off his other avenues of escape, one to the door he had exited the other to the auto ramps.

He continued to move forward, shaking his left wrist he took on an exasperated look. Shifting his briefcase to his left hand he fumbled with his watch as if moving it from an uncomfortable position, while actually depressing a pair of buttons all the while knowing that the response to the signal would arrive too late. The trio had already begun to make their move.

Bingo number one stepped to the side, effectively blocking all passage to the driver's compartment of the Jaguar, a dark smile on his face and his eyes narrowed. He was quite tall, easily over six foot, his dark pants and dark cable knit sweater looked new, James could still see the creases in the legs where they had been folded for shipping. His build was a little on the light side, his hair as dark as the clothes he wore, a great hooked nose made his face distinguishable. The gleam of a knife hidden behind his back could be seen reflected in the Jag's paint.

"Good evening Mr. Bond," said the man, once James was within perhaps a dozen paces.

"I'm sorry, you seem to have me at a disadvantage," James replied, focusing on the sounds of the other men's footsteps moving toward them.

"My… employer wishes to have a moment of your time. It is a matter of some importance," the man said taking a step forward.

"Then by all means please have him make an appointment. My secretary will be glad to work something out that will fit both of our schedules." James smiled his best business like smile.

"Yes, I have no doubt, but my employer is most insistent that this be done as soon as possible." He took another step bringing himself within a long arm's length.

"Yes, well, be that as it may, without the proper information, I am not sure how much help I could be," James said tensing.

"That's quite alright, after this I think I can supply what he will wish to hear." The man's arm flashed forward the wickedly sharp looking blade piercing the air between them.

James watched as the man's shoulder dropped in preparation for his lunge and moved just as the swing began, bringing his briefcase up between them to deflect the blade away, only to have the tip burst through the fabric on his side, surprising him. Yanking the case hard to the side he ripped the blade out of the attacker's hand.

"Now, didn't your mother tell you, you could put an eye out with something like that?" James quipped.

"Don't just stand there! Kill him!" the man yelled.

James plowed into the dark man, lifting him off his feet and ramming him hard into the rear of the Jag, the air rushing out of the man with a mighty "WOOFF!" He followed the impact up quickly with an elbow to the side of his head.

He spun toward the advancing men, both of them large bruiser types, charging him with arms outstretched. James moved to the right, dropping below his arms, he let the man's own momentum carry him over his back. Standing as the man passed over, adding height to the man's out of control movement, he did a remarkable flip to land hard on the concrete.

As he turned toward the remaining attacker, a fist hammered into his jaw, and James's vision swam, his ears ringing. He suddenly found himself on all fours, his head clearing just in time to see the bruiser's steel toed boot swing forward to make contact with his side. His ribs exploded with pain, as he was lifted off the ground by the impact, his body rolled with the momentum to stop a short distance away.

Both of the bruisers were on their feet and were approaching, as James began to move, while questions flooded his mind. Who where these men? How did they know him? Who was their employer? He dismissed them as quick as they came; they were the wrong thing to be focusing on at the moment, the type of things that could get him killed.

He let his emotions go cold his mind numb, as he rolled away from them, a hand sliding into the side pocket of his jacket from which he pulled a metallic cylinder. It was a little longer than a heavy pen, and as big around as a large man's thumb; taking a firm grip he gave it a flick. There was a quiet sound of metal sliding on metal followed by a "_click"_, as it extended to its full length. It was known as an _Asp_, a gift from Felix, a collapsible baton made of titanium, capped off with a heavy weight on the end.

Coming to his knees he snapped it forward into the first thug's leg, there was a muffled crack followed by a howl of pain as the man collapsed clutching his now broken lower leg. The impact of the second thug rolled him across the concrete, the asp flipping from his hand.

James tried to suck in a breath, pain shooting through him. He knew he had several broken ribs, as his vision had a dark halo around it.

"What's the matter Mr. Suit?" asked the man. "All the fight gone out o' ya? That was a nifty toy ya got me mate with! Ye'r gona hav' to pay for that." He stepped forward and swung his leg back for another kick, when James's other hand rose from inside his jacket with the barrel of his Walther PPK leveled at the mans chest.

"Hope you weren't expecting coin of the realm, all I have is lead," he said with a small smile. In the distance running feet could be heard.

James sat in his office chair, draining his second scotch, his now bandaged ribs still throbbing. As M entered he began to stand.

"Don't bother, Dr. Warmflash gave me the run down. Two broken ribs, light concussion, in all not your worst outcome," said M pouring herself a glass, then handing him the bottle.

"Barely qualifies as a scratch." James refilled his tumbler. 'Any word on the brains trust, or the other guy?"

"Not much to tell, the pair were paid to help 'teach a guy a lesson', just your garden variety thugs. The other one though," she took a long drink. 'He matches the drawings Harry did of Severus Snape."

"I thought we confirmed his death?"

"We did. Problem is the body we had had several foreign unknown substances ingested. Tech will revisit that issue starting in the morning."

"Have you informed Amelia?"

"She is being informed as we speak." James nodded.

"What about that blade? It pierced my armored case."

"That went directly to Q," she said taking another sip. "Nasty thing. When we started our cleanup we found your case half eaten away, some sort of acid. The metal looked corroded, while the leather... Q said it looked like it was attacked by Ebola Virus. It's in a quarantine housing. He is suggesting its immediate destruction… I am inclined to agree."

Bond nodded, "Probably for the best."

"Any idea what this Snape would want with you?"

"Dumbledore, it had to be on his orders." James stood and walked stiffly to the wall and slid one of the whiteboards he used for case notes out of the way. Behind it was a line diagram that M recognized as the attack on Harry at the train station. "Something about this attack has been bothering me."

He flipped the transparent pages down then pulled up the first page. "Using the surveillance footage I had it broken down by individual attack." As he added each attack, shown with a line and an impact point, a pattern slowly appeared.

"We assumed that this was an attempt on Harry, but the majority of these attacks seem to be aimed…. at the Grangers." M stepped forward, "These," she said pointing at the spells from Bellatrix, "They are bracketing him trying to drive him away."

"It might have worked if Malfoy had not been killed." James returned to his seat. "I expect attacks on others, Sirius, Amelia, the Longbottoms, and the Greengrasses. I won't rule out others as well."

She sighed. "Then we move forward with that in mind. Contact Amelia, cook up a story, figure out how we can help protect them." James lifted his telephone just as it began to ring.

* * *

><p>"Cissy?" The dark haired woman stood at the door, mouth agape staring at her younger sister. Her eyes were puffy and her face blotchy from shed tears. "Cissy? What happened? Are you alright? Come in." She moved forward and ushered her inside.<p>

"I-I didn't know where to go…. I don't have any one to..." she stammered as Andi led her to the sitting room.

"Cissy, I know things have been hard for you but we are and always will be family. Please, talk to me," she pleaded as they sat.

"I-I've been walking all afternoon. I-I don't know…" Cissy leaned into her sister's hug. "I wasn't ready… then he..."

Andi was instantly on her feet. "WHO IS HE! I'LL HEX HIS BALLS OFF! NO ONE FORCES HIMSELF ON MY SISTER!" the rage in the eyes evident and her wand out.

"What? Oh! No Andi…. He didn't… He was nice, a perfect gentleman," she said pulling her sister back down. "He asked me out….to dinner."

Her sister looked at her stunned, then a grin grew across her face. "A date? That's wonderful!"

"That's just it, I-I can't."

"But why? I know you're nervous, but you need to stop cooping yourself up with work. You're still young, you need your own life."

All Cissy could do was nod slightly. "I know, Sirius says the same. But this is different, no one will even give me a second look because of Lucius. People avoid me."

"But you said he asked you out? Doesn't that prove he is different?" Andi asked, confused.

"He did, and he is… He's a mug- non magical."

"Oh!" was her only reply.


	55. Chapter 56

**Chapter 56**

The next morning found Harry and Tonks walking up wide stone steps towards an old temple. The wind played lightly in the surrounding trees, and the morning shadows seemed to hold the morning chill in the air. The large ornate doors that dominated the end of the path slid open as they approached, hardly making a sound. Inside was a group of buildings surrounding a large courtyard, the stone path had been deeply grooved by centuries of use. The buildings were low, no more than two stories, and done in the traditional styles. Clay roofing tiles, in a light green, wooden walls partitioned off with large sliding doors. They, along with the small brook, pond and gardens, were peaceful, serene.

The quiet was broken by a loud sound. Oddly it did not seem out of place as one would have thought, it seemed appropriate somehow. As if it belonged, as much as any other part of the temple. Laughter, children's laughter, a door at the far end of the courtyard slid open revealing the source. Twenty children poured out of the room, none older than six or seven, running to take their places in the courtyard each stopping at an equal distance spread out in the yard, facing the center door.

Harry immediately recognized their formation, they were preparing for their morning katas. Katas were the basic movements of martial arts, he leaned over and explained what they were doing to Tonks. As they watched the center door opened and a man stepped out and directed them to begin. Harry pointed out the deep grooves each student stood in and the way their feet never left the indentation.

The man circled the group slowly, making the odd correction to a stance or form then in a loud voice shouted "AGAIN!" in Japanese.

A voice came from nearby. "Good morning Harry, Alex," Lei said as she walked toward them, along with Mr. Nakamura.

"Good morning Lei," Harry said with a wide smile. "They have some impressive students here. Are they all magical?"

"Yes, some will go on to be priests, or priestesses, for most of those it is a matter of family honor. The others will follow another path after they are twelve."

Tonks looked confused. "They use magic at this age? They are so young! And why train them in martial arts?"

"Young? Alex-san did you have… What did he call it?... Accidental magic while you were growing up?" asked Mr. Nakamura.

"Yes, most magical children do," she replied.

"That is why they train." He looked frustrated for a moment, as he tried to find the right words to explain. "Martial arts is not what most westerners believe. While it is a formidable form of combat it also hones the mind and spirit, along with the body, providing a stable core to grow from, the earlier the better."

He continued, "Most of them come from long lines of magicals, they began learning at home. The others, those without magical family were contacted after the first time their magic manifested. The martial arts teach them the discipline to calm their mind and their magic."

Harry nodded as he thought about it. "I guess that's right. My flares quieted and disappeared within the first year."

Mr. Nakamura smiled. "You practice an art?"

"Aikido," Harry replied.

"And it has helped?"

"Yes, when I was young it was hard on my father. He always said he was surprised he survived," he said with a chuckle. "I am happy that you accepted our request to look at your education system."

"It pleases me that you are interested Bond-san," said the man, as he led them toward the front of the courtyard. "I suspect that you will see a number of differences from the western way." He ushered them inside a large room where another group, just older than Harry, sat facing a blackboard that had kanji, Japanese lettering, strung into intricate patterns. Each child sat on their knees, a bamboo calligraphy brush in hand copying the pattern.

Tonks looked at the man confused, he nodded his understanding and spoke. "They are preparing sealing spells. We have many Oni…" He searched for the correct words. "Demons… creatures… other things that we use. Such things aid us in protecting our homes and community."

A look of comprehension dawned on her face. "Wards? They are learning wards as a group?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Yes. That would be an appropriate analogy."

"Wow, for us that is entirely separate education after we finish schooling," she said.

"It is here as well, Alex-san. They are learning the basics, and a few emergency uses as well. Things to use until someone better versed in the necessary skills can be summoned." He pointed to the board. "We expect our citizens to carry a few of these on their person, or close at hand in case of an emergency. This one is a sealing spell, one that can, for a time, hold something in a locked area. It can also be used to lock something out."

Harry looked at him, then the board. "A trap, or emergency panic area."

"Correct Bond-san, all it needs is solid boundaries, walls... a floor… a roof is not necessary. As long as the caster can maintain the connection it will form a solid barrier. The smaller the area the better. There are many such spells."

They moved on toward the next class, where they found another group discussing a drawing of some form of creature with long arms and a white mane that seemed to have no lower body. "Mr. Nakamura? I don't see anyone with a wand."

"You will not, Alex-san. They are not a traditional focus here, please follow me and I will show you." He led them out the back of the building and they saw a group practicing down the hill.

"Each person is allowed to find their personal form of focus, as well as the materials it or they will be crafted from. For some that may be something as mundane seeming as a calligraphy brush," he said pointing to a young woman to the right. "Or a traditional monk's staff." He pointed to the man overseeing the exercise, who held a long staff in his hand topped with a metal end cap that had a loop attached with seven rings threaded in the loop that rang softly when he moved it. "Some only have one, others may have one for specific tasks."

Mr. Nakamura led them back inside. "Seeing as you have been coming to Japan often I have been tasked with requesting something of you and now your friend Bond-san." Harry looked at him, and nodded. "It is expected of any person with a magical ability to help those in need that are not magical. The Elders have asked that you be instructed in the basic art of sealing in case of such an event."

"It would be my honor," Harry replied.

* * *

><p>Rea was happy, she had her son back! Her ears wiggled as she prepared her family's evening meal. And she was to have a guest! Master's friend was to be staying for dinner, the first guest here! Mistress will be home soon as well!<p>

She hummed a tune as she stirred the soup, took a small sip and added a little more salt. Pulling the pot from the heat she waved her hand and a moment later three large bowls were on the trays to be served, being held piping hot by the small house elf's magic. With a light smile on her lips she popped away, intending to tell her master dinner was ready when he and his guest were hungry.

House elves are small in stature, always needing to look up to those around them, so the first thing she saw was the red smear on the hallway wall. She stomped her foot. Master Sirius had been playing again! All her hard work would be ruined by his silly… She stopped and wiggled her toes. The floor was wet as well. She then looked down.

Her mind had trouble making sense of the picture before her. "Ma-Master Sirius?" She rushed to his side, feet slipping in the cooling blood. "Master Sirius! You wake up now! This is not funny!" She placed her hand on his shoulder and shook him. He fell over with a sickening "_Spleach!_" into the pooling blood.

"**Master SIRIUS!**" she screamed. "I Get Help!" She popped away.

* * *

><p>'Paperwork, the bane of my life, is paperwork,' she silently mused to herself as she filled out yet another form, in triplicate, pulled out her wand and waved it over the parchment sheets. Which dutifully folded themselves into paper airplanes and flew off in different directions. 'Thank goodness I don't need to do it all by hand.'<p>

She reached up and pulled another parchment off the stack and began to read, 'On this date… bla bla… she scanned down to the heart of the matter. 'So Alexander Moore thought he'd just sell a few things off did he! What an idiot, he didn't even pay attention to the case the silver was in! Like he was a Feldman! That will get him five yea...'

A pecking at the window disturbed her train of thought, a large dark colored owl stood outside. Around its chest was a halter bearing the Gringotts symbol. She stood and waved her wand at the window; the owl entered and landed on the bookcase lifting its leg to aid in her removing her letter, then flew out again. After securing the window she sat and opened her letter.

She was startled by a sudden loud pop, the papers on her desk scattered as an elf appeared. "Rea?" was all she was able to say as the house elf reached out and grabbed a hold her Head Auror robes.

"You come NOW!" Rea yelled and the pair disappeared with a loud pop.

She stumbled as they reappeared, falling to her knees, landing with a wet smack. All of the surroundings were lost to her however as the sight of Sirius crumpled on his side in a pool of blood seared itself into her brain. All she could think of was, 'NO! I can't lose him too!'

She flung herself towards him, feet and hands scrambling to gain purchase. Falling over something in her way she watched as her right hand finally found purchase on his robe. Tears were blurring her vision as she said, "Beam me up Scottie!" She felt a sudden tug and twist behind her navel, and the entryway was once again silent.


	56. Chapter 57

Again I own Nothing!

Thanks to Pazed for the edit.

As a note I am very ill at the moment, and will most probably be in the hospital soon, I may be a few extra days before I am up to writing again. I'll be back as soon as possible.

**Chapter 57**

Harry sat on the leather couch facing the TV, calligraphy brush in hand as he again made the kanji, Japanese word, for protection. With a critical eye he compared it with the examples that had been given to him. 'Close' he thought to himself, and placed the brush again.

The clock on the mantel chimed three, Tonks had gone to her room hours ago after completing her exercises. He had to spend more time on the kanji, fortunately for her she did not need to 'unlearn' some of the bad habits he had.

He stood and stretched, walked to the bar and pulled out a carton of milk. As he looked out at the view he smiled, the city lights made the areas glow. He loved visiting this city, it almost felt like a second home… well third if you counted Fortunada, in Jamaica.

His glass was half empty when the phone began to ring. "Hello?" he answered.

"Harry? It's Mark, Mark Hazard," the voice on the phone replied.

Harry startled at the name. It was his father's secondary identity, one he used sparingly and only when things had taken an unexpected turn. "Mr. Hazard, a pleasure to hear from you." He tried to keep his tone light. "I hope you have pleasant news for me."

"I'm sorry for bothering you at such a late hour, but some information has surfaced that I think you should be made aware of." James took a slow breath. "Some of your recent investments have been threatened, I would advise you to contact your broker soonest. You don't want your capital to be compromised."

The news shook Harry, as the coded message sank in. They had been attacked! "Thank you Mr. Hazard. As always your observations are most welcome. I'll speak with someone as soon as possible." Harry said his goodbyes and laid the receiver down.

He ran his hand through his hair as he moved to Tonks's door, all his fatigue forgotten. "Up! We are out of this room in ten minutes," he said as he flipped on her light.

A bleary-eyed Tonks looked in his direction. "Wotcher, Harry? What's going on?"

"No questions, move!" He turned and strode across to his room leaving her to tumble out of her bed. "Essentials only, leave everything else." Entering his room he grabbed his large suitcase and flipped it onto the bed. Depressing a pair of hidden catches he pulled hard and the bottom fell free.

He pulled his pistol out of the fitted casement and checked it over quickly. Tossing it on the bed, he then freed the shoulder holster. After checking the pistol a final time he slid it home, only then did he add the pair of spare clips to the opposite side. Sliding his hand into the now revealed section of the case he withdrew several objects, his invisibility cloak, sans the shell that had been added by Q, two sets of travel documents, his custom wand and finally the pouch given to him by his uncle.

Checking the documents, one set for him the other for Tonks, he placed them in the inside pocket of the black suit jacket he retrieved from the closet, along with black trousers, a pair of dark leather shoes and socks, white silk shirt and a deep red tie.

He looked at the ensemble lying on the bed, for the first time he was going to put on _the_ _suit_. That is how he thought about it, _the suit_. The one his father wore with such confidence, the one that hid who and what he was, the one that he had worn to topple tyrants, kill terrorists, and most importantly, protect the people of the United Kingdom. It had always been a symbol to Harry of what his father stood for.

For the first time he would wear that same symbol.

Across the suite something much different was happening, it was chaos. Tonks's feet has been wound in the sheets as she tried to stand, this had ended with her face first on the floor, cursing the return of her clumsiness. Clothes were scattered around the room as she gathered things and tried to dress at the same time, finally settling on a summer weight blue dress. It was of a classic design, a square neckline, no sleeves, knee length. It was tailored to pull in at the waist, to which she added a wide dark leather belt, and a short bolero styled jacket of matching color. Her shoulder bag was stylish, again in dark leather, to it she added her Heckler and Koch 9mm that she had also retrieved from her suitcase along with two extra clips. Quickly buckling the two-inch heels she stepped into the main room.

She stopped short, standing in the center of the room was not the happily laughing Harry she remembered and hoped was still there someplace. This young man was different, harder somehow. His green eyes were just as captivating, but instead of green pools to get lost in they seemed to bore their way into her very soul. He looked her over with an appraising eye, then nodded. "We need to go." He looked at his watch, it was almost three-thirty. He turned and walked to the door, only pausing to retrieve his briefcase.

* * *

><p>Algernon Croaker was drunk, this was something he had not done since… He chuckled quietly to himself, it had been many years. The end of the war probably… the night he thought it was over.<p>

It wasn't over.

In fact it was still raging. It was just that the battlefront had shifted. No longer was their blood on the streets, being washed away by the rain. No the blood was still being spilled it was just not visible.

It raged in the halls of their government, the halls of their schools, in the backrooms… Merlin knew where else. It disgusted him to know that they had all turned a blind eye to it. Bribery ran rampant in the Wizengamot, corruption could be found at every level.

Even in his own department.

His own _Department!_ Of course Rookwood had been a spy during the rise of Voldemort, but today? It was just as bad in many ways. Objects missing, research gone or falsified, some even destroyed. It was enough to drive him to doubt many of his friendships.

He took another deep drink from his glass, the firewhiskey burned its way down his throat and a little burst of fire popped from his mouth when he belched. He shook his head, several dangerous objects were missing, among them three time turners (Dear Merlin what a nightmare that was! The ability to turn back time up to twenty four hours!), any number of spells, charms, and runic clusters, most without proper testing, out there among the populace.

He had seen the runes that had been placed in Hogwarts, others had been found as well in other schools, thanks to Bones and her insistence on a 'safety and security audit' of all public buildings. They were all removed, the ones in the ministry had been difficult to remove without raising undue suspicion, but it had to be done.

He had not intended to get drunk, but as time progressed he realized that he had few people he could honestly trust, and needed a plan of action. As he thought, depression had gripped him and more firewhiskey had followed, of this fact he was not proud. He looked at the near empty bottle at his side then the glass in his hand. Slowly he placed the glass on the table.

'Tomorrow,' he decided, 'it begins tomorrow.' First he would see Amelia, and confide in her as she had him. He would need an ally on this road, and she was his first choice. They would then begin deciding on a course of action, the sheer volume of the task ahead was daunting. The first thing he needed was people they could trust. He tried to stand. Wobbling he sat again in his chair and he thought, 'Evidently the first thing you need is, to be sober.' He laid his head back against the chair and was soon fast asleep.

* * *

><p>Mark Grant was good at his job, one of the best. One of the few tasked with the responsibility of being a double-0 agent, licensed to kill in the name of his government. But a killer was not all that a 00 was; they were one part bloodhound, one part researcher, one part diplomat all rolled up into a single deadly persona. You needed to chase, hunt, fight, blend in, stand out, think outside any box known, and expect the unexpected. He had thought he had seen it all, from megalomaniac cult leaders, to Nazi business men bent on world domination. He had broken into and out of a dozen prisons and national command rooms, killed guards and assassinated leaders.<p>

But this place had him stumped. He had walked the grounds in the daylight, with the man in charge of security, and even with a hand-guided tour and access to the plans themselves he was unsure of how the prisoner had been killed.

That led him to what he was trying to do this very evening, breaking into the compound. They had been placed on high alert knowing that this was an exercise, he figured that was roughly analogous to them knowing they were protecting a high value target. Especially when he sweetened the pot by saying if they could catch him then their jobs were secure. He knew he would have their best effort.

It had taken him longer than he expected to get this far. The vulnerability he had found to get him here was in the waste water system, the water shed down into a system of cisterns where it was collected and used as a supplemental water supply which he followed back using the cisterns as cover. From there he had used their patrols against them, they became his private taxi service as he rode into the heart of the compound abandoning his ride before it arrived at the internal checkpoint.

Next was the internal fencing and no man's land patrolled by dogs and rifle toting guards in body armor. He made quick work of the security cameras feeding them a continuous loop courtesy of a pair of Q's new toys. A quick spray of himself with another such toy that Q guaranteed covered his scent from guard dogs and he moved on.

He had even made entry into the house itself, this is where it had all gone pear shaped. Inside he was having problems circumventing one of the final obstacles between himself and his objective. Seismic sensors set on the floors and walls.

They were incredibly sensitive, according to the head of security, and proved to be a problem because they were independent of each other. Each evening they were placed by security with a new battery and timed activation. Once active the only way to stop the piercing alarm, that would then set off the others, was to purposely set them off then remove each battery.

An ingenious if simple addition done by the previous security chief. As long as the guards - and each night a random team of three was selected and the placement overseen by the head of security - were trustworthy it was tediously time consuming to bypass.

That is how Mark Grant had found himself in this unenviable predicament. Moving each foot as slowly as possible, gingerly crossing the second floor hallway. Keeping low to avoid the camera and other sensors in the area. Sweat covered his face, his back hurt from staying hunched over for this extended amount of time, but he stilled his mind and began to move again.

In his mind pieces of the puzzle he had begun to solve slowly knit together, each individual connection slipping in place. The man that been held here had been a smuggler, not your normal smuggler by any means, he moved a great deal of cartel product in and out of the United States.

Most people never realise that since the drug industry is a cash-based system the cartels have just as much to lose on the other half of the transaction as when they smuggle product in. That is if they want to use the money they make, and, well everyone has bills to pay. So not only did the man have a number of ways to get product into the country, he had ways to get cash out.

He had been under surveillance for a long time, that was nothing new to him, but he had become complacent, gotten sloppy and been captured. During his debriefing a portion led to the story that he had delivered a shipment of product to Miami, and had heard a discussion involving the launch of a US communications satellite. This led to the involvement of MI6 and the CIA.

Mark had begun his investigation where most of them start, following the money. That led to a high level drug lord in Miami who had disappeared on his yacht about the same time, to be found a week later all ten aboard the yacht dead. Someone was cleaning up loose ends.

Whoever had done both of these had been meticulous in their job, no blood, no holes, nothing showing on any drug panel. That had led him here, crossing this hallway at a snail's pace, trying to get a feel of the types of skills needed to accomplish the goal. He had been trained by the best Britain had to offer, had ten years of experience being a 00, had broken in and out of some of the most secure places on earth, even with all of that and every advantage a personal knowledge could give him… He failed.


	57. Chapter 58

**Chapter 58**

Harry led Tonks down a hallway to an unmarked door. Flipping out his keys Harry thumbed the emblem on his Aston Martin key fob. Out sprang an odd-shaped set of tools that gave him access to the locked door with only the smallest of pauses. Once inside he ushered her past the two sets of elevator doors to a third set that faced the door they entered.

He spoke quietly. "This is your on the fly lesson on why we choose some of the places we stay." He flipped the fob again and used it to unlock the elevator and call it to their floor. "This particular hotel is one that believes that no one wishes to see the 'domestic' side of the business. Therefore it was designed with those systems hidden from normal guests."

The door dinged and they stepped in. "The other two elevators are for the cleaning staff, they are monitored day and night as are the guest elevators, but this one," he said gesturing, as he went to work on the control panel, "This one is not, it is used by the maintenance crews. It is only used to haul drywall, paint etc… It can be accessed only by key, and as a bonus the lowest exit is directly into the parking garage near the loading docks. Japanese efficiency at its best."

"Isn't that one of the most likely places we would exit?" she asked.

"Oh, most definitely! Glad you are using that pretty head of yours." He smiled a mischievous smile. "But then again they don't know all my tricks." He pulled a silvery cloth from inside his pack.

She gasped, "An invisibility cloak!" She ran her hand over the slippery material as he handed it to her.

"I never showed you that? Well shame on me. You use that I'll be fine without it." He jumped up onto the handrail, hanging by his fingers from the steel grate surrounding the lights. "It will take about a minute and a half to get to the basement. That will be plenty of time for our eyes to adjust." She watched as he pulled loose the wires to the lamp and the car went dark.

She heard him land back on the floor, and something that sounded like Velcro. "Wrap it around you and make sure you are covered well. When we exit we won't be going far, exit and move to your right, you should hear the sounds from the kitchen coming from the left. Be careful of the stairs, there will be enough light to see. There will be several autos at the bottom, those are the staff spots. Hide between the fourth and fifth cars while I have a look around. If I don't find you in an hour, use the cloak and get to the tube, take at least three random trains. Then use the emergency number and call Tiger. I don't think there is anything to worry about but better safe…" The remainder of what he was saying was lost in the roar of an explosion.

* * *

><p>David Granger was a practical man, he lived his life by a few simple rules. The problem was none of those simple rules ever applied to one of life's great mysteries… women. He thought it was a simple question 'Would you like to have dinner?' Who knew it would set off that kind of reaction? From a perfectly reasonable relaxed conversation to… well he wasn't sure what to call it but evidently his approach left a lot to be desired.<p>

He sighed as he looked up into the bathroom mirror. He was supposed to be retired, but here he was in the thick of things again. He rinsed his razor and began again, removing another strip of shaving cream and beard stubble. He had promised himself at the time his brother was married to follow his example, and be out of the life before… before he found someone, so asking had probably been a mistake in the first place.

His razor scraped another path.

But this is different… right? He deserved a life, a family of his own! He was still young…ish! Only forty-two! He had time, heck our parents are still alive and traveling the world and they are in their eighties. They had had two sons later in their lives.

He looked in the mirror at the freshly shaven man. "It's time you found a life of your own," he told him. "And the first step of that is to stop living in your brother's house and find a place of your own. But first things first, this night out will do you some good."

He was walking down the hall, wiping his face, lost in thought about where to start his evening when the alarm sounded.

Two quick steps and he was in the guest bedroom, he reached in the end table and pulled the Sig226 from the holster. It felt different than his old Browning Hi-Power but this was what they were changing the standard issue to so he would learn to trust it as much as he had his old sidearm.

The chirping alarm died as he moved toward the hallway and he knelt and peered carefully around the door frame. He could hear voices from the ground floor, too far away to make out what they were saying but clear enough to make out four different 'bingos'.

He silently cursed the fact that while the ward stones were in place they could not be activated till his brother's family returned. That just left the passive spell work Narcissa Black had insisted on, but it was probably better than nothing.

David moved toward the stairwell, keeping low, the voices became clearer.

"..don't care what the noise was! We have a job to do! Michaels, Johnston, check upstairs. McNeal, come with me. Kill whoever is home. If no one is here we burn the place!"

David padded back down the carpeted hall, and stepped into his brother's room leaving the door open. Moving quickly he opened the closet door and pushed the clothes to the left, undoing the catch to the newly installed safe room that would be his fallback position.

He then moved to his brother's bureau, and withdrew the knife he knew that his brother kept there, just like when they were kids. He slipped the Sig into the waistband of his pants, and moved near the door, knife ready.

"You go that way," said one voice quietly. "The only one you need to worry about is the girl, the others are just muggles."

David stayed low his back pressed against the wall, hidden behind the partially open door. The man stepped into the room wand forward, searching. David sprang forward just behind the man and with a quick motion had dragged his wand arm into an arm bar disarming him, and in a flash of movement the man was dead, his throat cut before he could make a sound.

Turning David moved down the hall toward Hermione's bedroom, as he passed the stairs he could hear objects breaking, he suspected he did not have much time. As he neared his niece's room he could make out the laughter of the man within, he was taking great pleasure in destroying the doll collection that her grandparents, parents and he had helped her build, dolls from each of them from countries they had visited.

Anger blazed in his eyes as he approached, the man was on the ground before he understood what had happened. The last thing his dying eyes saw was David Granger replacing the doll he was going to break back on the shelf.

Two down, two to go, he thought moving back to the stairs. He could hear a siren in the distance, this had to be quick. He drew his pistol and held the knife in a reversed grip with his left hand, as he quietly stalked down the stairs.

His first target was bent over the open drawer of the china hutch, gathering the silver service into a bag. 'Not just killers but thieves as well,' he thought, as he brought the butt of the gun down hard against the base of his skull and pocketed the wand laid on the top of the hutch.

"Muggle Aurors are almost here! We've done our j-" The man looked at the unexpected scene, a half dressed muggle stood before him, right hand out, a muggle firearm aimed at him. His left arm held a knife and was coated in something dark, his eyes were cold. The body of Albert McNeal lay at his feet.

Then the figure spoke. "Drop the stick, boy. Then put your hands on your head. I have no interest in ending your life tonight unless you make me."

He bristled at the statement. Who did this fool of a muggle think he was to give him orders? Besides, the others were still upstairs, and he had gotten lucky with McNeal. He was careless, no muggle stood a chance against a wizard. His father would be proud, his first muggle hunt had borne fruit! He had heard about this mudblood when his father had been speaking with an old friend, she was an embarrassment, how dare she cheat her way to the number one position at Hogwarts! The slag should not have even been allowed in the school in the first place! Then this muggle had the nerve to speak to him in such a way! He was a Carrow! One of the old families! How DARE HE! "Ava-"

Two shots rang out, and he staggered forward. A pained look spread across his face. "How..?" He fell forward, crashing against the corner of the table then lay still on the floor.

David knelt to the body at his feet and checked him for a pulse. Using the runner from the table he tied the man securely then checked on the one he had shot, two hits center mass. Dead. Police lights flashed in the windows, giving him enough light to get a good look at his attackers, they were young. Maybe twenty, all ready to kill. 'What a waste,' he thought to himself as the first of his backup entered the house.


	58. Chapter 59

As usual, I own nothing.

Thanks to the amazing pazed for everything!

READ! ENJOY! REVIEW!

**Chapter 59**

Harry groaned as he started to sit up, he had landed on something soft? His hand moved up the surface, and fell into a warm valley.

"Eppp!" came from the other direction. "HARRY!" the voice scolded. "You need to ask a girl before you touch her there!"

His mind raced, Warm… Toned muscles to each side… "Bloody hell! Sorry Alex." He pulled his hand away quickly and scrambled to his feet. "Looks like I owe you a soft landing some time." He felt around on the floor for his briefcase.

Tonks grumbled as she stood, and said under her breath, "Or a real rain check!"

"What did you say Alex?" He fumbled with his case finally, pressing down on the inside of the handle and popping it loose from the metal loop.

"Hmmm… Ah - any bright ideas? How do we get out of here?" she asked.

He turned the object over in his hand and felt a cylinder fall out of the hollow inside the handle. "Not till we can see something." He quickly replaced the handle, then took the cylinder and bent it sharply. When he heard the 'CRACK' he shook it. "Let there be light," he said cheekily, and grinned at her in the green light cast by the object. "Chemical light, bend it till you hear the break, shake well. It will last around four hours."

"Yeah, we had them in basic…Where the hell did you have that thing?" She looked at him expectantly.

He just smiled harder at her, then he grew serious. "Alright, as of now no more games till we know what is going on." He handed her the light. "Check your weapon, then make sure you have the cape. I'll want that back but you hold on to it for now. Put it in your purse when we are out of here."

"I am only going over this once, so pay close attention." Harry pulled some documents out of the briefcase and looked at her. "As of right now you will do exactly what I say, no questions. We don't know if what has happened is because of us or not. I expect that it is something local, but we will take no chances. Understood?"

She nodded. "Good, as of this moment think of everyone as hostile till I say otherwise or you have met with my father and M, and I do mean everyone. Ok?"

"Ok Harry." she replied checking her weapon, and wishing she had her wand.

"Our first objective is getting out of here." He checked his equipment and slid his case into his backpack. "When we get some distance we'll start looking for information, and contact London."

He handed her the stack of papers. "That is a new identity, valid for exit from Japan, if we are separated use it. Match the person inside, then take the first plane to Hong Kong. Use hard currency only, till you are there. It is a British colony, so it will be easy to arrange things after that. Then contact London and get home. Understood?"

She nodded, unhappy with the thought of leaving him behind. "Good." He looked at her closely. "Look I'm sorry, you just don't have the training yet to do anything else on your own and are too valuable an asset to be wasted." He cupped her face with his hand. "I'd still probably beat you home anyway." He stood and moved across the car.

Climbing up he pushed loose the maintenance hatch, and pulled himself up. "Hand me the light." Once he had it he stood and took a look around. About half covered by the elevator was a door labeled 3. "We're just below the third floor." Another explosion shook the building, tossing him to the roof of the elevator close to the edge.

"HARRY!" Tonks yelled from inside.

"I'm ok!" He checked himself for injury. "Damn, tore the arm on my suit!"

"Is this thing going to fall?" she yelled.

"No, it will be fine." A huge bang came from above him. "…But I think this is our floor!" He reached into the elevator cab. "Grab my bag, let's get out of here!"

The bangs were coming with more regularity as Harry went to work on the elevator door, one good shove and the lock bar moved away and he pushed the doors open. Emergency lights cast harsh shadows into the shaft, he started lowering Tonks through the opening onto the third floor as the next crash shook them.

He ended up on his back, looking up at a sight that took a moment for his addled brain to make sense of. Something was falling down the shaft. It was large, had an irregular rectangular shape, and as it passed one of the maintenance lamps he decided it was made of metal.

Sound rushed back to his ears, as the world sped up to its normal speed. He moved, he rolled toward the opening at the edge of the elevator the object missing him by inches. He looked at it as the sound of smashing metal rang in his ears, it was an elevator door. In the harsh light from the third floor he read the number 24… it was the one from their floor.

He looked up, to see light streaming in floors above them, something big was in the doorway. He could only make out the vaguest of shapes, then it… moved.

It moved? A long object, sticking almost all the way across the shaft swung fast to the right. He could see metal glittering on it as it slammed into the wall with a force that he felt floors below. Concrete exploded, metal rang.

Harry rolled through the opening and onto the floor below, as the pieces started to rain toward him.

He crab walked away from the shaft as the impacts began. Then the sound came. Like nothing he had ever heard before, it was louder than a fighter jet taking off. He could feel the sound shaking the building, those were no explosions. Those were that thing's roar!

"We've got to get out of here!" he yelled, stumbling and trying to stand. He grabbed her hand, and ran for the door. He placed a hand on it, it was cool, he grabbed the handle and ran into the hall, pulling her behind him.

Suddenly they were in a crush of people, all headed for the stairwell, three floors… Harry's mind raced, running through possible escape routes, another roar sounded this one much closer. He changed direction.

With a hard kick he broke open the first room door that he saw. "Grab the sheets, tie them together. We're going out a window." He shoved her toward the bed.

At the window he looked out, the main entrance was to his left. He had been expecting to see people pouring into the street below, that was odd the road should have been filled with the guests occupying the lower floors, but no one could be seen. There only the lights of the arriving emergency vehicles. He knew the windows did not open and were shatter resistant but he could deal with that.

He flipped the desk on its side pulling it parallel to the window, and pulled his weapon. "Get down till I say," he yelled over his shoulder. Giving her a moment he knelt behind the desk, took careful aim then turned his face away. Four quick shots sounded, and he stood moving toward the glass.

It was crazed, but not a single round had penetrated the glass… He was stunned, that should have worked… He pulled his arm back and hit the window hard with the butt of his gun in frustration. It hit with a 'Clump' and a flash of light. Harry looked at the glass oddly, and hit it again. 'Clump' and another flash.

"Alex, I need you." She came, pulling the sheets she was tying behind her.

"I thought you'd have that open by now Harry," she said.

"What do you think of this?" He hit it again with the same results.

"Magic… It's a ward of some kind." The roar blasted again, this time close enough that the ground seemed to jump underneath them, they crashed to the floor.

As they untangled themselves, Harry saw it clearly for the first time walking down the hallway. The light from outside cast it in dark shadows, it stood at least a foot taller than Hagrid. It's skin was the color of dried blood, it wore pieces of metal armor tied together with what looked like leather straps, and it carried a club almost as long as it was tall, a Tetsubo. The information drifted up from somewhere in Harry's mind. A war club, laced with heavy metal studs.

The most disturbing thing, though, was its face. It had great tusks growing from its mouth, a pig's nose, and where its eyes would have been were two gaping maws. Dark and empty, black as the darkest obsidian.

Harry reached with his magic. "Gosheven!" he called, and his spirit animal appeared. He switched his pistol to his left hand as a thought brought the Sword of Gryffindor and he felt its weight settle in his hand.

"Alex." He turned his head so he could see her out of the corner of his eye, her eyes wide. "Alex!" he repeated, she didn't respond. "Damn it _**Nymphadora!**_" Her head snapped to him, eyes still wide. She backed toward the glass. "Tie that off to the bureau, I'm going to try the window one more time. If I can't break it, I'll distract the thing. You get out of here." She nodded numbly. He reached down and stroked his spirit animal, their magic joined, he felt the animal merge with him and the rush of his senses expanding. The thing's odor exploded in his mind, blood and death clung to it, some of it very fresh.

"On three. One… Two…" The monster charged. As it began to move Harry spun and thrust the point of the ancient magical blade at the window. For a second, for an eternity, time stood still… Then the window flashed a brilliant green and shattered.

The roar of the beast crashed forward impacting them like the backwash from a jet, tossing them like rag dolls out the window. He twisted in the air, gun forgotten, and grabbed at Tonks, just getting hold of her arm as she tumbled past. He continued the twist turning it into a roll, trusting the instincts gifted to him by the spirit cougar. With a thought his blade disappeared from his hand, allowing him to pull Tonks closer, and support the now unconscious woman's head and neck as they hit the ground. They rolled to a stop, everything hurt. Pain shot through his body, but his instincts pushed him on. That thing was a hunter, a predator of a higher order, they needed to run.

He gathered Tonks in his arms, and stood, forcing himself forward. The roar from behind them added to his haste, he was trying to think, make a plan, but his mind was foggy, drifting. Still he moved.

Transportation…a…. He moved across the lawn, gradually gaining his bearings he sped up. He heard the thing land hard behind him, another roar shattered the night. Somehow it seemed louder, as it cascaded and echoed among the buildings.

He ran toward the flashing lights in front of him. His breathing was labored, his ribs screamed with every step, he pushed on. The flashing lights on the white vehicle beckoned to him, he pushed Tonks's body into the back of the Ambulance and slammed the back door. He slid into the driver's seat and gunned the machine forward, siren blasting. He watched the creature that had been chasing them as it grew smaller in the rear view mirror, with a deft motion he flipped off the lights and siren, then eased into the flow of traffic.

* * *

><p>Harry let his head rest against the concrete wall, it had taken him the rest of the night but he had Tonks resting on the small fold away cot. She was still unconscious, but did not seem to be hurt too badly. He had used what he had scrounged from the ambulance, and a few things his father had stored here to make her as comfortable as possible, and treat her as best he could.<p>

Here, was actually an old train check office. Before electronic monitoring, these offices were used to check the air quality within the tunnel system that housed the subway system. They had set this one up as an emergency retreat because it had easy access to the surface via its own tunnel just outside of a large parking area. With the addition of a new door, one that anyone would find was firmly welded shut unless you knew how to open it, it was theirs.

The other reason they had chosen it was the proximity of a telephone trunk line, with a little elbow grease, wire, and an old field telephone, they had all the comforts of home. Even a radio, which was tuned to a news station.

He looked at the half eaten MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) on the floor in front of him. Glad that his father insisted that they check and resupply this place every time. He even had a chance to replace his lost pistol, it was not his preferred model but a Glock 19 third generation. He placed the tactical light and the laser sight that fit the rail system in his case.

He looked at the phone, willing it to ring. He needed more information than he was getting from the radio, and he did not dare leave Tonks alone at the moment. He took a bite of the peanut butter and jelly covered cracker, one of the things he'd probably eat out of an MRE any time, when he heard her groan and try to move.

He scrambled across the floor toward her, grabbing the tactical light. "Tonks, try not to move!" He looked down at her from above. "Don't try and talk yet either, I have an immobilizing collar on you. I need you to look straight at me, and don't blink. It will be bright." He shined the light from the small flashlight in her eyes.

The pupils retracted. "You took a hard hit on the head, and our landing was hard. Blink twice if you understand." She blinked twice. "Ok I want you to start slow, move your toes."

A long few minutes later he had removed the collar and she sat up under her own power. "Oh man, I feel like I was hit by a lorry."

"Well I'm glad you feel that good!" he said with a smile. "Remember if you feel tired let me know, we want to keep watch on you in case you have a concussion."

"Yeah, I know we went over it in basic." She closed her eyes and shivered. "What was that thing?"

"I have no idea, but I do know who I am going to ask." He said as the Gock's slide snapped home.


	59. Chapter 60

I own nothing!

A big thanks goes to pazed!

Read! Enjoy! Review!

**Chapter 60**

He had watched the man's car all afternoon, an uncomfortable way to spend the time as Tokyo was hot this time of year. It didn't help that he had now been sitting in the back of his target's Civic for the better part of an hour under his invisibility cloak. He had rolled down the windows on the far side but that was only a slight relief.

His target approached the car just before dusk; he was reading a stack of papers held in his right hand and carrying his briefcase in the left. As he got near he stuffed the papers under his arm and fumbled in his pocket for his keys, a few seconds later he had himself arranged and was in the driver's seat.

Yoshi Nakamura heard a commanding Japanese voice come from his back seat. "Please put both of your hands on the steering wheel, Mr. Nakamura, and do exactly as I say." He glanced up at the mirror, and saw nothing but empty air. "Your special skills are of little use at the moment, please do not make me do something you will regret."

The voice paused for a moment. "We are going for a drive. Pull out, slowly, then drive. I'll direct you, and no sudden moves!" Yoshi's hand moved slowly to the gearshift and slid it into drive.

They drove for about twenty minutes, as Harry directed him to the place he had arranged to meet Tonks. "Pull over here, and put it in park."

It was a darkened alleyway. Yoshi asked, "Do you intend to kill me?"

"That remains to be seen," said the voice. Harry tossed a black hood he had made from two pillowcases with a drawstring put through the bottom. "Put that over your head then pull the cord so it is snug." Once it was done he signaled out the back window to Tonks, who drove another vehicle forward. "Step out of the car, with your hands up. I'll be watching so don't try anything." The man stood. "Shut the door, keep your hands up and walk forward." Yoshi's face soon came in contact with the wall. "Stay just like that."

Harry stepped from the car, and nodded to Tonks as she arrived. "Hands on the wall, feet back." Yoshi did as he was told. "Farther." His feet moved back till he would have fallen forward if not for the wall. "Feet apart." Harry frisked the man, removing everything loose and placing it into anther small bag. He then took the bag and tossed it in the Civic.

"Put your face on the wall and put your hands behind your back, palms together." When he had complied, Harry first ziptied his wrists then put a tie around his hands just below his fingers. He then pulled him away from the wall, and guided him to the vehicle Tonks was driving. He put him in the back of the delivery van and ziptied his feet, she then drove away.

Wherever they were it was cool, the wooden chair he had been placed on felt damp, and he could hear trickling water. The voice returned. "I have questions. You will provide answers. When the hood is removed do not look around."

The hood was tugged away, he blinked trying to get used to the light. He was sitting in front of a small wooden table, the rest of the room was cast in dark shadows the lone light coming from a lamp directly above.

Across the table from him stood a dark figure; all he could see was the person's outline, but his eyes were drawn to the object in that person's hand. A pistol, with a silencer attached.

On the table lay a drawing, he recognized the creature immediately as an Oni. One of the many types that inhabit the Asian world, this particular one was known for its earthshaking roar, and most often found near volcanoes. They were known to be fierce warriors, and would track their prey unrelentingly.

He now understood why he was taken. "You have seen this creature?"

"I have," Harry replied.

"Was it following you or did it go after something else?" Yoshi asked, as he studied the drawing.

"Me."

"It will be coming for you again, tonight after the moon has risen." He looked at the eyes more closely. "Are you sure that the eyes are correct?"

Harry pictured the monster in his mind. "Yes, black, empty."

Yoshi pondered the picture. "Were you possibly on its home ground?"

"If I was so were many others, I was in a building here in Tokyo," Harry said.

"Here? In the city?" He glanced up at the figure. "Did you travel outside the city and return today?"

"No, I've been in the city for a few days," Harry replied.

"Then you have a serious problem. As you survived the Oni, I presume that you have some ability, but if I am correct you do not have sufficient skill in the sealing arts," Yoshi stated. "Moonrise is about nine tonight, what time is it?"

Harry looked at his watch. "Almost eight thirty."

"You have little time then. It seems you have angered someone, the black eyes denote a type of control spell. You are not just facing the beast but its master as well," Yoshi said calmly.

"Several people died in the attack last night, seven was the last count I heard. Many others injured. Someone set that thing loose in my hotel last night!" Harry stepped into the light. "They had also set up some form of ward around the building, presumably to hold everyone inside. Luckily something happened to that barrier, and the death toll was not worse."

Harry leaned forward. "Your own countrymen died! My friend was injured! You are one of the few magicals I have been in contact with..."

Yoshi suddenly saw where his line of questioning was going. "No! Bond-san I would never do such a thing! I was the one that championed our meeting in the Council of Elders! They and I believe this is the first step in stabilizing relationships between magicals! I do not know who would do such a thing! Please Bond-san, let me help you with this. We cannot let someone begin to unravel what we have begun."

"Someone, that knows who I am, did this!" Harry yelled at the man. "Who else, besides you, knew I was coming to meet you?"

Yoshi looked at his hands. "The council, there are nine members including myself, the aides to the council, another twelve, as well as your friend Mi Lei, and of course Tiger. As far as I know those were the only ones authorized to know of your visit." Harry watched him closely for signs of deception.

"How do I fight this thing?" Harry asked.

"Oni are as much spirit as physical being. They lack a physical form before moonrise. Do not mistake that as a disadvantage though, in their spirit form they can travel great distances and are hidden from most people's eyes. Though their travel must use their 'element' and as this is a spirit of fire it will be somewhat restricted, especially in the city. This particular type of Oni normally uses the ability to travel between volcanoes," he stated.

He touched the drawing again. "This one will be different though, as the master will be able to summon it to him after moonrise, then he may direct it. From that point he, or those he employs will use the Oni's ability to sense you, to follow."

"Great, how far can this thing sense?" Harry asked.

"Now that it has perceived you as a threat, it will follow till one of you is dead or the spell is removed," Yoshi said looking up at Harry.

"How do we remove the spell?"

Yoshi smiled. "It is good I was correct about you Bond-san." Harry gave him a puzzled look. "Many would have only been interested in destroying the Oni."

Harry shook his head. "Then please don't misunderstand, because I will need to know how to do that as well."

Yoshi smiled again. "I know, but you will try to help first. If I am correct about this spell the Oni believes you have invaded its lands, or possibly are in possession of something important to it. If we can find a way to trap then bind it I may be able to release the spell."

Harry nodded. "How do we track the 'master' then? Or will he be near?"

"Of that I am unsure. I may know more after I have examined the Oni. Failing that… I do not know." Yoshi shrugged. "The first thing we need to do is to think of a way to trap the creature, and then bind it."

Harry's smile broadened.

The building they had moved to had once been part of an old factory, due for demolition soon. They figured that as long as Harry was moving so would their hunters, so he had headed off in another direction and given Yoshi four hours to complete the trap.

Tonks had watched him work the entire time, hidden under the invisibility cloak. He worked with a fluid grace till the job was completed. Then came the hard part, the wait. It seemed to take an eternity for the time to pass, finally she saw Harry pull his car into the building and park it in a darkened corner. He slowly got out and walked calmly across what had once been the assembly floor and into the small manager's office, a small cinder block building almost in the center of the enormous room with windows looking out in each direction. It had, at one time, been the only place that a person could have even dulled the sound of the machines that had once been housed here.

Still hidden under the invisibility cloak Tonks moved from the spot she had watched Yoshi from and made her way to the car Harry had driven. Just as he had said it would be the boot was held closed with a piece of twine, she slid her knife in the opening and cut it loose. Reaching inside she pulled out a long dark leather case, then making sure she was well covered she moved away.

It took her several minutes, but she reached her position and began to settle in. She unzipped the case and laid it open, pulling out the long sniper rifle, a Dragunov SVD with a PSO-1M2 scope. She checked it quickly. Harry had gone over the rifle with her, and had promised that it would perform well. Just as he had shown her that morning, she withdrew the sandbag from of the case and set it under the rifle. She settled herself, then checked to see if the cloak completely hid her. It was better than any ghillie suit she had seen in her training. She began scanning the area, settling in to her second fight of the night with time.


	60. Chapter 61

**I own nothing!**

**A big thanks to pazed for the edit!**

**Remember to Read! Enjoy! Review!**

**Chapter 61**

Sweat dripped down Harry's face and he wished that the breeze outside would shift to help cool the room. He peered out into the surrounding night, searching not only with his eyes but his ears, straining them for any hint of his pursuers.

In the distance he saw a light, then a pair of them closely followed by more. The sound of engines reached his ears, the staccato sound of motorbikes then the deep rumble of a least two larger vehicles, trucks of some form.

He moved deeper into the shadows, this was not quite what he had expected. He counted six bikes, as they slowly passed the outer door. Then came a large truck, it looked like one of the American Humvees. Gloss black in color, it rolled to a stop just outside the massive doors leading into the factory. He watched as two men exited the vehicle and moved away outside.

He listened, following the sound the bikes were making as they circled around the building. That meant a minimum of eight outside, at least one more in the Humvee, and an unknown number in the grey delivery van that pulled in and stopped next to the Hummer.

A speaker crackled to life, and a heavily accented voice spoke. "Mr. Bond, please step out. We have no wish to make this any more unpleasant for you than is necessary." The speaker crackled again and silence returned.

Harry remained still, soon the speaker crackled again. "As you wish, Mr. Bond."

The large van's suspension groaned as he watched it rock from side to side. Then as if a great weight had been unloaded, its suspension sprang upward several inches. The great beast from the previous night ambled around the vehicle, the gigantic club's silver nubs glittering in the moonlight. Harry swallowed involuntarily, then again as a _second_ monster rounded the vehicle from the other side.

"Oh, hell…." Harry said quietly.

* * *

><p>Tonks had watched as the group approached, Harry and she had discussed several possibilities before they had gone after Yoshi, one of them had been what Harry had called the worst case scenario, but this… a second one of those… things? That was well past anything they had talked about.<p>

She pulled the rifle tight against her, choosing her first target carefully. When it started she would be ready!

* * *

><p>Yoshi glanced up at the sight before him, two Volcanic types. "Harry, the trap will only hold one for any length of time."<p>

Harry frowned. "Great… just be ready." He looked down at the man, "I'm sorry but their master has left me little choice."

Yoshi nodded, and Harry turned back to the job at hand. "When I give the signal set off both sets of seals. Then get down into the pit," - he pointed to the deep crevice used to walk under and service the machines that had once stood here, "and stay there."

Harry moved toward the door, across from the monsters. He took several deep breaths, looked at Yoshi, nodded once and began to run.

Harry sped across the factory floor keeping the pillars supporting the roof between him and the monsters now entering through the large doors. He turned to the left and knelt down behind the concrete base of a pillar, pulling a small square package out of his pocket. He flipped the cover off, and holding it in his left hand he leaned around so he could see the two ambling monsters.

They were twenty feet inside the wall at most, walking side by side, a pair right out of a person's worst nightmare. Harry ducked back and pressed the plunger in his hand three times…

* * *

><p>Tonks lay perfectly still, the target recital sitting firmly on her target. The man stood next to his bike facing her direction, his eyes scanning the darkness his weapon moving in the same pattern. When the first sounds started inside the building, a deep 'wummph' followed by an explosion, she fired.<p>

The man's head snapped back, as a hole appeared exactly where she had aimed, his body crumpled to the ground. She opened her other eye and tracked toward her next target. She only made the briefest of notice of the light flickering inside the building, she focused on her job. Breathe. Select a target. Breathe. Aim. Blow out. Hold. Squeeze. Release. Breathe….

* * *

><p>Even hidden behind the pillar Harry could feel the rush of heat. The fireball that had been the car he had driven lit the room in a blinding yellow light, his ears rang. When the heat retreated he looked around the edge of the pillar. The damage was substantial.<p>

He had selected the car for just this reason, plan B, it had been a 1970 Mercedes 280sl. The charges he had placed inside had turned the vehicle into deadly shrapnel. The Oni closest to the blast had been thrown away, past its brother, a piece of chrome bumper buried deep in its chest. Something dark oozed from it.

The other was stunned, down for the moment but he could see it moving. Harry moved quickly toward the creature, and with a quick strike from his sword the head of the thing rolled across the floor. He repeated his actions with the other as he made his way to the doors.

He released his sword and drew his pistol. Pausing briefly at the edge of the door he knelt, tearing loose a strip of paper stuck across the sill of the door breaking the barrier seal with a flash of soft blue light; he then stepped into the darkness outside.

He moved toward the first piece of cover visible, and crouched low next to the body half hidden in the shadows cast from the Honda motorcycle. The typewriter rattle of submachine gun fire came from his right. Glancing around the edge he could see four men hiding behind their bikes on the far side of the driveway, each popping up occasionally to fire in the direction he had Tonks set up her ambush. As the man furthest to the right moved to fire he saw a small flash of light and the man fell in a tangled heap, soon followed by another.

The light was on in the Humvee, a man was furiously writing something. Harry snuck closer. With a jerk of the handle he pulled open the back door, one quick shot made sure the man in the driver's seat was no longer a threat. He swiveled his aim to the surprised man in the passenger chair.

He smiled at the man, and spoke. "Would you be so kind as to tell your remaining men to stand down? I think my friend has had enough target practice for this evening." He reached forward and tore the sealing supplies from the mans hands.

* * *

><p>Harry found Tonks lying flat on her back looking up at the stars, eyes unfocused. Sitting down next to her he placed his hand on her forehead. It was clammy, her eyes flickered toward him then away. He began stroking her hair softly, just enough motion to remind her she was not alone.<p>

He finally broke the silence, and spoke quietly. "We need to go soon, someone will be looking for them."

Silence returned for a time till Tonks spoke. "I-I killed them."

Harry remembered the feelings she was having all too well. "Yes, I wish there had been another way but they didn't give us much of a choice."

She nodded and said softly, "I know… but…" She began to cry. "One of the things we are taught is Aurors don't kill, wizards and witches don't need to. I never…" She broke down, into sobs.

Harry gathered her up into his arms. "I know… but the world just isn't that simple. I talked with Amelia Bones about the Death Eaters, and the battles during he last war That is what the Aurors did then, they tried to take everyone alive. It's how they were trained and it's what the laws allowed, but the Death Eaters… They played by different rules, they were killers, terrorists going against a police force. It is the same out here."

He just gestured to the grounds below. "Regular police would have lost against them, and the casualties on our side would have been high. I wish it was different but out job is to walk in the shadows to find the threats hidden in them, and if possible end the threat. If we do that job correctly, we save lives."

"I wonder if it gets easier?" she asked.

"No… No, it doesn't," he replied quietly.

* * *

><p>"Do you recognize him Yoshi?" Harry asked as they looked through the small window centered in the heavy Iron door.<p>

"Hi... Yes, I know him. He is the son of one of the elders, Ito Yakama." Harry slid the covering back over the small window. "Yakama was one of the elders that voiced concerns over beginning our relationship."

They walked down the sparsely lit hall, away from the door, as Yoshi continued. "It is time for you to know the entire story Bond-san, and I believe you will not find it believable." he said as they entered the room where Tonks was preparing a small meal for them.

They moved to the small table and sat, Yoshi spoke. "What do you know of a man named Gellert Grindelwald?"

Harry looked up at Tonks as she sat the food on the table, and she supplied the answer. "He was a wizard, born someplace in Europe in the late 1800's and became one of the most powerful dark wizards known. Till he was captured by Albus Dumbledore."

Harry snorted, "Yeah, right." He waved his hand to keep Tonks from speaking. "Don't believe every thing you hear about that man. He is not what he seems."

Yoshi looked stunned. "Are you not a student at his school?"

Harry smiled darkly. "It's not his school any longer, he was let go November of last year. Along with him losing his places as Head of the Wizengamott, and IWC."

Yoshi's eyes went wide as Harry continued. "Health issues, that was the story people were told. The truth… is a bit different. Suffice it to say he is not to be trusted." The look he gave Tonks told her it was not the time for that particular story.

"It is suprising to hear you say that Bond-san, we were under the impression he was held in high regard by both the magical and non-magical governments," Yoshi said.

Harry shook his head. "He has developed an… image problem of late."

Yoshi thought about Harry's statement for a moment before continuing. "Japan's relations with China have not always been the best. Tensions run high even in the best of times. Just prior to one of the major clashes in the 1930s, Gellert Grindewald visited my country."

The pair looked at him surprised, as he spoke. "From the stories I know he presented himself as a diplomat and scholar, traveling with an envoy from someplace in Europe, or at least that is what the stories we have collected from those that met the man have had in common." He moved some of the food around his dish as he spoke. "While he was here he gained an audience with the Emperor, how we are not sure. He left the country soon after. Within a month of his departure we were involved in a conflict on the mainland.'

He took a deep breath. "It was not till after the Americans had bombed Hiroshima that we began to understand his treachery. One of the Emperor's own guards had fallen to his words, and abandoned his honor and duty. Using elixirs and spells unknown to us at the time, he set us on a path that he hoped would see many millions of both magicals and non-magicals killed. If it had not been for a quirk of fate Gellert would have succeeded in the destruction of Japan at the very least."

He smiled softly. "A young girl of twelve years, stumbled upon the guard casting a spell using a wand, and alerted the guards at the cost of her life. Her sacrifice saved our country, and acted as the catalyst for change."

"Ok, but we knew Grindelwald was bad news. What does that have to do with that guy trying to kill us?" asked Tonks.

"It was not because of Grindelwald, but because of his traveling companion." Yoshi paused, the look on his face was troubled.

A number of pieces clicked into place in Harry's mind as he spoke the name, "Albus Dumbledore."


	61. Chapter 62

**Again, I own Nothing!**

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**If you have questions feel free to ask, but I'll only answer if the don't impact something I want to keep to myself for the sake of the story.**

**Chapter 62**

Tonks, if possible, looked even more surprised. "Harry, Professor Dumbledore would never be involved with something like that! He was the one that captured Grindelwald! He's the greatest light wizard to ever live!"

Harry shook his head. "No. That's just the image he portrays…. The man cannot be trusted. What Yoshi said just helps confirm a few things that have bothered me and my father for a while." Harry stood and paced. "During World War II Dumbledore was teaching at Hogwarts, and took no interest in the war. He rarely set foot outside of the castle, or the Ministry building, till the allies began their push inland after the D-Day invasion."

Tonks was even more confused now. "Why would he be involved in the muggle war?"

Harry looked at her in shock, was all of England's magical population just as blind? "Alex, think about it for a moment. What year was Grindelwald captured?"

"1945, March12th," she said quickly.

"And WWII ended when?" he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. Hogwarts doesn't teach all that much muggle history..."

Harry nodded. "Something we are trying to change as well. Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party, died just over a month later, April 30th." He paced again, trying to think of what to say. Deciding on the truth, he began.

"When I took stock of my family vault, I found that my heads of house kept detailed information about the lives of the Potters in a magical tome. Births, deaths, land transactions, business deals, political alliances, etc… they also used it as a Journal." He took a sip of water, and sat back down.

"During WWII the Crown asked for magical assistance." Tonks was now captivated. "Some odd things had been encountered, things they could not understand. Due to that in conjunction with finding magical creatures on the battlefields, it was felt that the magicals could shed some light on the situations.

"My family, and a few others that remembered their families' responsibilities, answered that call." Harry looked at Yoshi. "I won't say what they found, suffice it to say the other death camps were not the only type of atrocities committed.

"It was not till almost the end that Dumbledore made a move. The journals do not say how he arrived, just that he had. A push was being made against a castle high in the Alps, the keep set up by one of Hitler's most trusted advisors, and a good friend of the man, Heinrich Himmler. He was head of the SS as well as of one of Hitler's favored projects, one that was linked to the Occult, the Society of Thule. The Castle and its projects were run by Gellert Grindelwald, suposidly under Himmler's direction. And while he may have used any number of other names, we have proof of at least two that he traveled under during the war and before.

"If any good thing can be said for the Nazi's they were excellent record keepers. Grindelwald was part of their establishment from the beginning, his name first showing up during some of the earliest days of the party's organization. As soon as they had reached power his group, with orders from a now occult obsessed Hitler, were sent around he globe. Both meeting with heads of state and searching for certain items. It was probably at that time he met with your Emperor," Harry said.

"He set up his base in the Alps at the same time, and started his experiments. Very few even know what those experiments were, and the only thing I know about them is that when the magical defenses fell and both magical and non-magicals stormed the castle they decided to raze it to the ground. Whatever was there was destroyed.

"Losses for the non-magicals were catastrophic, over three-quarters of a company of 150 was destroyed before the walls were breached; as for the magicals, twenty-one members made up the strike team that went in, three members survived the night. Jacob McKinnon, he survived the assault but was killed facing one of the German wizards embedded in a counterattacking SS contingent, part of the group they pursued down the mountain early the next morning. The second member was Alexander Marsh, he survived but his mind was broken, he died in St. Mungo's still in catatonic state in 1965. The final man to survive the assault was one that had joined them just days before, Albus Dumbledore.

"As for the battle between him and Grindelwald, we only have Dumbledore's word on what transpired. That while he battled Grindelwald the others faced his forces, that after an epic struggle he was victorious."

Harry took a sip from his glass, he then spun the now empty glass idly on the table. "A lot of things about that battle do not make any sense. First how did Dumbledore get there? This was a Top Secret Mission. How had he even found out about it? No orders were found adding him to the strike team, and all of them were officers in the Service. He had no known rank, he was a civilian! Second why was someone who had not been trained allowed to accompany them? Is he a powerful wizard? Yes, but he was unproven in combat and this team had been fighting together for some time. A new unknown in the middle of what they knew was going to be an incredibly hard fight, could spell disaster for their teamwork. Especially seeing that Dumbledore was constantly pushing to capture the wizards in the castle instead of using lethal force, my Grandfather Charles made specific note of that in his journal."

Harry continued. "Why then? Why not join the fight before? Lives were being lost at an unprecedented scale before, what caused him to choose that moment to act? Had something happened?"

He looked over at Tonks, her brows were scrunched in serious thought. "What I want to know is what really happened in that castle! The problem is the only account of the actual battle is in the history books of the magical world, an account made by the man in question himself. The non-magicals were occupied with fighting on the lower levels, and as it was they had their hands full with things that belong in your worst nightmares. The handful that survived that night made a decision, they set the place ablaze and went after the retreating troops determined to destroy them no matter the cost. The things they described… were terrifying. Of those that returned all but one was discharged following the battle, casualties of shell shock. The remaining man was a medic, he never entered the castle proper, he stayed just outside at the rally point, to prepare for the wounded. His was the only account that was deemed reliable, as the other's stories were… jumbled... disjointed to the point that no common thread could be found to build a timeline. Most could not even speak of what they had seen inside without falling into hysterics."

"Dumbledore was never debriefed by anyone, no action report was filed with his name, and within twelve hours the only other magical person capable or willing to file one was dead. Grindelwald never spoke to a soul before he was whisked away to his new home, there was never a trial nor even a statement taken from the man, and Dumbledore was back to his teaching post by the end of the month, any follow ups that happened remain unanswered."

Yoshi nodded. "It does seem strange that the only ones that survived that night, in any condition, were a pair that had been friends, and traveling companions at one time."

"It does." Harry steepled his hands and rested his chin on them. "It makes me wonder where else the pair traveled. We know that Grindelwald was often a passenger on airships, we have found him and his known aliases on many international flights as well as several ships. Here, Brazil, the US, Italy, France, many more. It makes me nervous as to what he was doing in these other places, if he accomplished that here."

"Indeed, my friend," Yoshi said taking another bite. "I will not say that the advancement against China would not have happened, but it is clear that the interference removed the possibility that it would not. My country's need for resources at the time may have brought it about, but looking back now it does seem strange that our Emperor so readily joined the Axis movement."

"Plenty to think about," Harry said, "but at the moment we have other issues. Like Mr. Yakama, he needs to be interrogated. Do you think he was working alone?"

Yoshi shook his head. "No, without his father's approval he would not have access to the resources for such a thing."

Harry looked thoughtful for a few moments. "I think it would be best if we let Tiger's people handle the interrogation." Tonks looked at him perplexed. "An olive branch of sorts. We need to think about this from a diplomatic standpoint as well, showing that we are willing to work with the populous of Japan."

Yoshi looked pleased. "I believe you are correct Bond-san. If the investigation is carried out by our National Security it may help to strengthen our burgeoning alliance."

* * *

><p>Steady, quiet beeps filled the room. To some people the steady metallic beep would have been grating at best, but to the woman sitting at the bedside it was as comforting a sound as any she had ever been in the presence of. Each small beep told her he was still here, he was still alive, with her. Fighting to stay.<p>

The doctors were telling her to be positive, the first forty-eight hours had been touch and go. The damage done was bad, but worse had been the poison. It had attacked the surrounding tissue with a vicious efficiency, if it had not been for the quick thinking of the emergency staff he would have been dead within the hour. They had removed part of his lung and a good amount of other tissue, the prognosis was good as long as they had not missed any affected tissue.

A light knock shook her from her musing, and she looked up as three people entered quietly, all of them dressed as she was, surgical gowns and masks, hair and shoe coverings. The surgeons wanted as little chance of infection as possible, as they had packed Sirius's wound open to check for further effects of the poison.

"Ms. Bones," Dr. Baylor spoke first, "We will be taking Mr. Black down to surgery in about an hour. We are confident that enough time has passed and that the tissue affected by the substance has been removed. After we have finished he will be moved to another room. An orderly can take you there to wait if you wish, although I suggest you go home and get some rest. We are going to keep him sedated for a time, to keep him from injuring himself further."

She nodded her understanding, as the man turned and left the room. Her hand moved to Sirius's head, gently stroking his hair "You're doing fine, don't you dare give up you old mutt. Ha-.. I need you too much."

The other pair waited patiently allowing her the moment to collect her thoughts. A few moments later she turned to the couple. "Nick, Penny, it is nice of you to stop by."

"I'm just sorry there is not more we could do," Penny said quietly.

Silently agreeing with his wife, Nick continued. "We are sorry…"

"This isn't your fault Nick. This was Lupin's doing not yours," Amelia said, sitting back in the chair, still clutching Sirius's hand."

"That is the other reason we are here. I'm afraid it is..." Nick said quietly, Amelia looked at them with questioning eyes. "The poison, it's… Alchemical. I created it by accident, a by-product of another process that I was researching. It breaks down anything it comes in contact with, organic tissue seems to rot at an accelerated rate, while most ferrous metals break down… rust. Today I sell a less volatile purely chemical version of it to help in the mining of precious metals. There was only one person that had access to that formula… Albus."

Amelia stiffened. "So he's still alive."

Nick shrugged. "Possibly, but we still cannot be sure. Another dagger, coated with the same toxin, was used to try and kill James. The attacker was Severus Snape, Albus may have been teaching him..." His voice trailed off.

"That leads us to the next reason we are here," Penny continued, "Mr. Lupin's autopsy is complete. We were on hand for it, and they found many things that have troubled us." They both moved to the other chairs and sat. "Lycanthropy is a difficult thing, but it can be managed. Wolfsbane, the potion, would have been normal here in the UK."

Penny adjusted the gown, as she crossed her legs. "Wolfsbane helps to sooth the effects of the transformation, lessening the overall impact over time on the body. What he was receiving was not Wolfsbane, what he was using was something similar but with several adjustments made to the formula."

Amelia looked at each of them in turn till Nick spoke again. "What he was taking was a cocktail of potions, most with a narcotic effect, he seems to have been addicted to them most of his life." He let that fact sink in. "While they would mimic the effects of Wolfsbane, it would not be the same. He would have still been dangerous, well more dangerous than someone on the actual potion, as he would have been awake and active on the nights of the full moon. Those on the real potion sleep the majority of the time, and even awake they are nearly harmless as their muscles are left lax by the potion."

He took a breath and continued, "Another major effect was what it may have done to the 'wolf' part of his mind. A were's mind is almost impossible to control by an outsider, the feral nature seems to protect their mind from things like the Imperious Curse. This was created to tear down that ability. It may have left him vulnerable, controllable by whoever knew about the potion."

Amelia's eyes shifted to Sirius, how was she gong to tell him that the man he thought of as his brother… he may not have known at all. Penny's voice pulled her attention back. "We found something else, Mr. Lupin was dying. He only had another two or three years, maybe four on the outside. He had undergone long term use of the Polyjuice potion. Enough that even with the healing of his were form his body could not cope with it. His insides were riddled with the polyps associated with overuse, the narcotic effect probably hid the pain he would have been in."

Amelia blanched, She knew that each time the potion was used a great amount of stress was placed on the body. At one time it had been a favorite tool of both the criminal and law enforcement, but when it had been proven deadly if used more than a few times… it was a painful way to die, polyps growing even inside of muscles. "Do we have any idea what he was doing using Polyjuice?" she asked.

"No, James has sent a team to look at Mr. Lupin's home, but no word from them yet."

"You'll let me know if you hear or think of anything?" They both gave her their assurances they would. "And could you contact James for me, tell him I'll be here till the surgery is done then I'm going home, and taking the doctor's advice to get some rest."


	62. Chapter 63

**As Always I Own Nothing!**

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**On with the show!**

**Chapter 63**

Dawn found Amelia Bones sitting at her kitchen table alone. After Sirius was attacked she had made the decision it would be for the best if Susan stayed with her friend Hannah Abbott and her parents, and that they all take an extended vacation to Spain to stay in a villa graciously offered by James. Granted that was not what she told them. She had said that it was going to be a trip for her and Susan, but with the LeStrange escape she would not be able to go.

She hated keeping secrets from her niece, but things were becoming more dangerous, especially with the attempt on Sirius. She would be glad when Susan and the others were back at the school. She half- heartedly laughed at that… Who would have thought with all that had gone on there she would think of Susan as safer at the school than at home.

The mantel clock over the fireplace gave off a deep chime, followed by five short higher notes. Someone on the ward list was on their way. She stood and waved her wand over her cooling tea, warming it as she walked into the entry way. "Good morning Al," she said as she walked past heading for her office, and the person stepped out of the fireplace.

"Good morning Amelia, how did…" he began, following her.

She cut him off her voice tired. "You flooed without a request, the only other person that can do that is Susan and she's out of the country at the moment." She walked around the edge of her desk, and sat heavily in the worn but comfortable looking leather chair. She pulled open a drawer and removed a small vial, uncorking it and swallowing the contents quickly. Her face reddened, and a small plume of steam shot from both ears.

Al sat in one of the chairs across from her. "That's not healthy," he noted, knowing that the small plumes were an indicator of her extended exhaustion. "How many of those have you taken?"

She shrugged. "A few, I'll be fine."

He shook his head. "How is he?"

She replaced the empty vial. "They are hopeful, I have one meeting after yours, then I will be seeing him."

"Perhaps they can put another bed in the room with him? You need to sleep, and I fear you will only do that when he is close by."

She thought the idea had merit, it wouldn't hurt to ask. "Possibly." She changed the subject. "You've completed your research?"

His face darkened, and he looked down, anger crossing his features. "I have… It's bad Amy… I don't know how it happened but the Unspeakables are all but lost."

That news sent a cold shiver down her spine; the Unspeakables were their best and brightest. Chosen to be the Guardians of their lore, to lead them to the future, and protect them from the things too horrible to contemplate. "The things I have found… Missing/destroyed/falsified research, falsified documents, misappropriated funds, missing equipment… it's a nightmare. I can count on one hand the number of Unspeakables that I have not found any evidence against, and have fingers left over….. corruption is everywhere…" He hesitated to tell her the next bit of news but knew she needed to know how bad it was. "…Amy... three time turners are missing."

The papers she had been holding fell to the floor. "Great Merlin! How…?"

"I don't know," the man said leaning forward, his forearms resting on the desk, head dropped. "I just don't know. We... the Unspeakables have always been held accountable by our oath, evidently something has happened that allowed that binding to slip. I tested it last night." He pulled a small book out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Just removing that book should have been impossible, look at it."

She looked at the blue leather bound book in her hand. It didn't look like anything special, if it hadn't been for what Al said she would have thought it was just one of the Journals sold down at Flourish and Blotts for a sickle. Opening it her eyes widened. "Is this an Unspeakable's Handbook?" The little tome was filled with page after page of directions, spells, and other useful information, much like the one she handed out to her own men.

A look of horror crossed his face. "It is, unlike the ones your people use ours are to never leave the department. Too much dangerous information. What troubles me further is the fact that you can read it." He stood and walked to the window. "The enchantments on that book were to protect us; even if it somehow made it outside the department it should be unreadable, unless you are an Unspeakable…."

She shook her head. "Then how?"

"Not something I can concentrate on now," he said sitting back. "I will need to seek out the remaining members that have not violated our code, then figure out why our oath has not held." He said, "You go see to Sirius, I will take care of this and meet again with you soon. Then we will make plans about how we will go about rebuilding the Department of Mysteries." He stood and walked toward the door.

She stopped him before he left the room. "Al, I think I may know why your Oath failed."

He returned to his place near her desk, looking interested. "It has to do with something I found when looking over some of our laws and how they were changed," she said pulling a book loose from the shelf behind her. She flipped it open and leafed through to a marked page, then did the same with a book that had been lying on her desk. "I want you to read each of these carefully and tell me the differences."

He peered down at the first book, the language was a little over done but readable. It was an oath of office, one for the department head of the DMLE. The next was the same, and while the language was less... flowery... elements seemed to be missing. Ones concerning the protection of _all_ citizens of Great Britain, and upholding the laws of the legislature, as presented to the Wizengamot… 'What the…?' he thought.

She watched as his eyes traveled back and forth between the books, as if trying to make sense of what he was seeing. She finally spoke. "Big difference isn't it?"

"How many years different?" he asked.

"Not as many as you would think." She gestured to the one that had been on her desk to start with. "That is the oath I took, out of that very book. This one," she said touching a page. "This is from 1765; by 1768 massive changes had begun, although none of those changes ever passed through the _real_ governing bodies. The long and short of it is this: from what I have found the Wizengamot was meant to deal with how to apply the laws that were sent down from the designated representation of the Crown of Great Britain. Today that would be the Parliament and House of Lords, as ratified by the Prime Minister."

She turned and pulled loose another book. "Somehow our government sheared itself away from the government it was meant to be a part of. There are even seats being held open for our representative in those bodies today, complete with a special chamber and a committee on magical affairs all of it chosen by the Defense Committee. All of which are people allowed to know about magic but sworn to keep our secrets under penalty of treason; we were even meant to have representation on that committee." She smirked. "There is even an oath that was written to keep us from using magic to influence the laws and the lawmakers, as well as those trying to be elected or helping in the pursuit of those offices."

"This is a current copy of the Wizengamot Charter and Amendments." She handed him the book. "If you read it through carefully the authorizations of head of state stop at article 38, we owe our allegiance to the Crown and its representatives. The Wizengamot was to be nothing more than a Board of Governors. They were to help adjudicate the laws handed down from the legislature, and formulate laws to be introduced to those same bodies that concerned things exclusive to the magical world."

As he looked at the Charter, she spoke again. "Your oath, as was mine, was to an illegitimate government, and those stones that were removed were part of how it was done. They were part of the same set of lies, they were layered with runic matrices, compulsions, loyalties, confusions, and Merlin knows what else. That part reached back a long time as well, Dumbledore seems to be just the latest person in the chain to use them."

Al shook his head. "But that doesn't make sense, if they were runic clusters they should not affect the Unspeakables like that. We are cleansed every time we enter the Department."

"That's probably why the problem was so wide spread. Someone figured out the oath was not holding. It most likely started small, possibly by accident and grew from there," she said. "Corruption at its basic form."

He had to agree with her, it had probably been growing there for generations… like Rookwood. "Augustus Rookwood, we will need to look into his life more closely soon. He was a spy for Mr. Riddle. He may have been behind some of the larger thefts." He ran his hand through his hair. "We should have seen it then… He was a traitor! He came and went from our department for years! We just never made the connection…"

She nodded her agreement. "Or some of the others didn't want to call attention to themselves. Either way you need to be careful, Al. Those last two could be just as guilty as any of the others."

He smiled. "I know, I have a plan."

* * *

><p>James sat in his office staring at the report in his hand. Mark Grant, 002, was dead. His last report had come through Jamaica's station less than twenty four hours before his body was found. In his last direct communication he had advised of his intent to fly to Miami, backtracking the trail of the money that had been smuggled out of the US byAlejandro Serafim, the man whose death he was investigating. When he had failed at discovering the method of entry used at the safe house, he had decided to follow rule number one in investigation, follow the money.<p>

The Miami/Dade county Sheriffs office had found his body in Little Cuba, a district in the city heavily populated by refugees from Cuba and their families, his throat cut. He had contacted Felix Leiter, his friend in the CIA, as soon as the initial inquiries about the man's identity had reached MI6. Felix was taking care of things from his end, and would get copies of everything faxed to him as soon as he had them.

He flipped the page to the report Mark had sent before leaving for Miami, detailing the security of the safe house. Mark's conclusion was that the man must have taken his own life by an unknown means, and that the body should be re-examined to locate said means, as the security was more than adequate to deny entry by anything short of a full assault by a greater force.

James turned the page to one detailing the smuggling operation put in place by Serafim, it was a wide reaching enterprise. He had points of entry all over the southeast, the largest seeming to be Miami, and New Orleans.

James had confirmations of Mark making initial contact after arriving in Miami, and he was seen leaving his hotel that afternoon. Beyond that he had disappeared.

Mark had been an excellent operative, it was a blow to have lost someone of his experience, but he put those thoughts aside and picked up the phone. "Ms. Ponsonby? Please have 008 in the main conference room by 11:00. Inform Q of a mission in the southeastern US to be equipped to leave this afternoon."

"Very well. Anything else?" said a voice across the line.

"Yes, inform Autopsy to go over the body of Serafim, our agent believes they may have missed something. Thank you Ms. Ponsonby." He rang off, and spread the pages of the report out again. He was missing something, he knew it! But what?


	63. Chapter 64

I own nothing, and gain no form of payment from these works.

Read! Enjoy! And remember to Review!

Edited by the mighty Pazed!

**Chapter 64**

When the door swung open it revealed a smiling man. He was dressed for riding in tall boots and twill pants along with a light colored cotton shirt. On his head of salt and pepper hair sat a traditional vaquero (Spanish cowboy) hat. His dark eyes sparkled in the sunlight. "Good morning! My name is Marc-Ange Draco, I will be your host for your stay." He offered his hand to the man inside.

"Robert Abbott," the man said taking the offered hand. "Please call me Rob."

"As you wish, Rob," Marc-Ange said stepping inside. "I hope your trip went well and you find the hacienda to your liking?"

"It is very nice," responded a female voice from the direction of the kitchen, as a blond woman entered, followed by two teens, one with strawberry hair the other with blond matching her mother's. "I am Kristen Abbott, this is my daughter Hanna and her best friend Susan Bones."

"Good morning to you all!" he said, his smile wide. "I am so sorry your aunt could not join you as well Ms. Bones."

Susan acknowledged him with a small nod, as he continued. "I hope you have found everything here to your liking? And you found the kitchen fully stocked? Yes?" Kristen nodded. "Excellent! I would have greeted you last night when you arrived, but with the late hour I thought this was more appropriate."

He walked over to an alcove built into the hallway. "If you find that you need or want anything, please do not hesitate to call the main house." He picked up a small leather book that was next to the phone. "There is one of these directories next to each phone, if you have a need for them. One is the main house, two is the pool house, three is the stable, four is the garage, five is the kitchen."

"If you wish to go into Valencia for shopping please feel free to take a vehicle from the garage, but we ask that you inform us as we may ask you to pick something up for us, and save a trip. Now," he said looking at the girls, "I think I may need your help with something. You see I have many horses in the stables, but very few riders at the moment. How would you two like to help me exercise them?"

Their faces broke out in huge grins. "Then you can have lunch up at the main house, and use the pool till dinner." He glanced up their parents. "That is if you will do me the honor of joining me for dinner?"

The girls looked pleadingly at the elder Abbotts, till Kristen said, "Ok! Go change and take something to wear to dinner." The teens dove out of the room, chattering as they went.

"I will have my secretary, Marta, look after them after our ride," he said turning back to the couple chuckling. "They will be at the pool house if you need them, I think they will find plenty to keep them busy there."

"Do you have many guests here?" asked Rob.

"No, your family and Ms. Bones are all that are here other than staff." His smile broadened. "Do keep in mind that most of the staff is non-magical, and have no knowledge of magic."

The couple looked stunned. "I noticed that this seems to be a muggle home," said Kristen. "I am surprised that Madam Bones had arranged to stay here."

Marc-Ange nodded his understanding, "It was for that reason she did arrange it. She wished her niece to become familiar with how a non-magical lives, I hope you will have no difficulties."

Kristen's laughter filled the foyer. "No, I won't. But my dear husband may." Rob looked sheepish. "He still has problems when we visit my parents, they are non-magical. He broke the stove the last time."

Rob muttered, "How was I supposed to know? I light the one at home with an incendio charm."

"And yet you couldn't tell the burners looked different," she said crossing her arms and looking scornful.

"It was early! I was still asleep!" he said defensively.

"You keep telling yourself that dear," she teased.

"Hmm… perhaps you should come up to the house for all your meals. It may save on repairs."

"Hey!" sprang from Rob's mouth as his head whipped around.

"At any rate," said Marc-Ange, "the house-keeper I have assigned does know about magic, and speaks fluent English. As long as you do not use it outside you should be fine. The grounds are patrolled by security, and we are warded as well, so you should have no problems. I hope you enjoy your stay."

The couple hugged, and Rob answered. "I think it will be wonderful."

* * *

><p>Algernon Croaker was a pragmatic man and that side of him knew that this course of action was a very bad idea. The person he was going to visit was the only one that he knew of, that had ever turned down working as an Unspeakable. That particular invitation's response had left no room for interpretation, along with an, understandably, angry owl as the owl in question had been force fed the shredded pieces.<p>

The owl had been retired, as it refused to deliver any longer, and the invitation had never been repeated.

At the moment it was possible that he was mere seconds from suffering the same fate. He sighed deeply, girded his loins, and then raised his arm to knock on the door.

From beyond he heard a voice curse, then the gravelly voice addressed him. "Go Away Croaker! I'm retired!"

"Come on Moody, don't you have a drink for an old friend?" he yelled back.

"NO! I ain't got a drink for you... and we was never friends!" said the disembodied voice.

Croaker gritted his teeth. "Damn it Moody I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important!"

"So you say! I'm done! I don't work for the Ministry! They have no use for an old warhorse! They ain't ever had the guts to do the right thing!" the voice spat back.

Al hung his head. "You were right," he said.

He heard a glass clatter onto the floor and the thump of someone moving across to the door. "Who are ye? You sure as hell ain't Croaker!"

"Does the eye still fog up when it rains?" he asked the door.

The door opened a crack, he could just make out an older man inside, he had thinning blond hair and his lips were thin and pinched. His right eye was a grizzly sight; a large scar ran down his face and behind a false eye that spun in a brass frame held in place by leather straps. His left leg was missing below the knee, and had been replaced by a peg leg; he steadied himself with a walking stick, but it was the wand that held Al's attention. It was trained on his chest through the opening in the door, its tip glowing the sickly green of the killing curse.

"Wand," the man said, "put it on the ground. No tricks!" Al moved slowly to comply. "Inside." As Al stepped in he felt a spell hit him and he toppled forward.

"That was stupid Al!" Moody said as he glanced outside and grabbed the wand. "You used to know better! Constant Vigilance! What if I wasn't me?" Al felt the man pat around on him searching him for other wands and weapons. "Working in that damn basement has rotted you just like the rest!" He felt another wave of energy pass over him and he was free to move again. "Sloppy! I'll just hold on to this," he said indicating Al's wand.

Al stood slowly, keeping Moody's wand in sight. "I didn't want to waste any time Alastor. This is too important for you to let old issues keep us from talking."

"I'll be the judge of that!" snarled the man. "All it would-"

"Alastor," he interrupted. Moody's face twisted in anger. "Please, hear me out. I didn't come to argue."

"Then speak your piece, and get out!" he growled.

Al took a deep breath. "You were right Moody. We should have done more." He shrugged, "We should have been out there with you… all of us. We were wrong. It was a war, we were needed."

"Yer Damn RIGHT! You were needed." Moody pulled a silver flask from the pocket of his robe and took a deep drink. "We were dying out there, and you all were hiding behind the 'we are researchers' crap. One word from the Unspeakables and we could have taken the fight to them! No more stunners! No more Schoolyard crap! Those damn families kept closing ranks in the Wizengamot! Trying to protect their precious heirs, look what it got them! One word from your lot, to support us! That was all it would have took!"

Al looked sick, it was true. While the Unspeakables had no votes in the governmental chambers, their endorsement could have meant the difference early in the war. "I won't make any excuses, Alastor. It was a mistake, one that will haunt me till my death and beyond. A mistake I don't want to see repeated, that is why I am here."

Moody snorted at him, then motioned at him to walk toward the sitting room, only following him once he was several steps down the hall. After they sat Al continued, "Things are bad Alastor, worse than I believed. The Unspeakables are corrupted, as is the Ministry," he wrung his hands, "then there is the mess with Albus, and the escapes from Azkaban-"

"ESCAPES?" startled Moody. "I only heard about one escape! The LeStrange woman! And what do you mean about Albus?"

"Severus Snape, we suspect he is alive and with her. Though that is just a suspicion as we have no solid proof," he said with a shrug. "As for Dumbledore," it pained him to say this about his onetime friend, "his 'illness' is not exactly as reported. H-he is not the man we believed him to be. He was tried, and convicted of sedition and treason."

"WHAT? How?" Moody was stunned, what had happened to his old friend.

"Snape," he said quietly. "He allowed the man to take up the Potions position, then made him Head of his old house. Snape is the reason we have had such a hard time replacing Healers, Brewers, and even Aurors; most of those that survived his N.E.W.T. level courses were either from his house or from well known Potioning families. He single handedly crippled our recovery after the war, leaving us at near the same levels as the night the Potters were killed."

Moody shook his head in disgust. "Albus, what were you thinking."

"That's not the half of it. Rune clusters were found imbedded in the very stone of Hogwarts, Compulsions, Confundus, Loyalty. Even worse they were found in the alley, the smaller schools, even the Ministry itself. They seem to force a complacency, a need to keep our world as it is."

"Hmmph," was Moody's only response.

"That is all something we can get into at a later time." Al sat forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "I am here to ask you for your help. I need you to join the Unspeakables."

"No. I am done-" Moody answered, only to be cut off by Al.

"He survived," Al said, his voice dark, his face holding a deep anger.

Moody straightened in his chair, there was only one person… no monster that would bring that look to Croaker's face. "How?"

"I don't know," he replied. "He is some form of wraith, and is capable of possessing a person's body. I am looking into it, but another concern has taken priority."

Moody was fuming. "And what could be more important than that! He needs to be destroyed!"

"I agree!" he replied, "But I have a responsibility to be sure we are prepared in case the war begins again! That is why I am here! That's why I am begging you for help! As of this moment I trust exactly one person in our government! And that person is _NOT_ an Unspeakable. I have evidence of vast corruption, bribes, theft, and other things! All within my own department's walls! If it comes to fighting him we will need the Unspeakables, we can't afford them to be corrupt. I won't allow another Rookwood!"

Moody's face broke into a cruel smile. "And how are you going to do this?"

"If I was not willing to do this your way I wouldn't be here. No coddling. No backing down. No compromises. The Unspeakables will be what they were meant to be!" he said, iron filling his words.

"You are sure he survived?" Moody asked.

"I am." He nodded. "I have a memory of the attack."

"Who?" asked Moody.

"The Potter boy. He fought him again, and won."

Moody's mouth curled into a smile. "Lucky."

Al shook his head. "No, he beat him... well the possessed body. He's tough, and smart. His protection will be one of our priorities. As long as he is alive the fear that that snake relies on will not be as crushing."

"Ok then, where do we start?"


	64. Chapter 65

I own nothing!

Read! Enjoy! Review! As that is the only payment, of any form, that is made from this story.

Edited by the Mighty Pazed!

**Chapter 65**

Amelia sat up when she heard the gentle rap on the door, but she still held Sirius' hand in hers, while her eyes drifted to the door as it opened. Narcissa Black entered. Quietly nodding in her direction, she sat on the opposite side of the bed. "How is he?" she asked with a hushed voice.

Sirius was the one who answered, his voice cracking. "They say I will live."

Her eyes widened. "Sirius! You're awake?" She stood and looked down at him as his eyes opened, lids still heavy.

His lips pulled into a small smile. "Why that idiot, Malfoy wanted you to be blond I will never know. This suits you much better." He reached up and took a lock of her now waist length black hair between his fingers.

A smile crept across her face. "That was a family curse. It was placed on them when they ran from France. My hair was affected as soon as that damn contract went into place." She laughed softly. "It never did change completely. One lock stayed black, it made him furious that a part of me still held on to being a Black. Drake's hair is changing as well, soon we will be shed of that family." She shook her head. "How long have you been awake? How do you feel?"

He grimaced, his face twisting into a scowl. "Like I was stabbed by my best friend!" He turned his face away.

Amelia stroked his head then answered for him. "He woke about an hour ago, and the doctors were in shortly after that with the Flamels. They are working on a potion regimen for him now that he is magically strong enough and they are sure there is no more of that vile toxin in the wound." She sighed. "We need to have a talk about Remus. It wasn't his fault."

Sirius turned his head back, a hopeful look in his eye. She squeezed his hand. "Before I can tell you more I need you to do something." She pulled a book from her pocket, and opened it to a marked page. "Have you ever seen this?" She handed the book to Sirius.

He read quietly for a moment. "It looks like the Lord's Oath, but it is worded differently."

She nodded. "It is the Lord's Oath. The real one. The one all the lords should have sworn, not the one that was used in the Wizengamot."

He looked stunned for a moment, then read it again. "This swears fealty to the muggle government?"

She pursed her lips. "No, and don't use that word! Read it again, it swears to do what you feel is best for all the people of the United Kingdom! Use your head Sirius! All the people, non-magical and magical."

She took a breath and calmed herself. "Sirius, the reason it is worded as it is, is because the government is expected to represent all the people, including having magicals as members of the House of Lords, and the House of Commons. The wording keeps us from using magic to influence their decisions."

He read it closely then handed it to Cissy, she had always been the more politically minded of them. She read it slowly. "It is more inclusive than the Wizengamot's wording. What purpose does the Wizengamot serve then, if we were to serve as part of the larger government?"

Amelia began her explanation. "They were to help adjudicate the laws as they were to be applied to the magical community, and formulate the laws that would only affect the magicals. Those would go before a special committee made from both Houses and a representative of the Prime Minister. All of the members would be authorized to know about magic and any breach would be held under the Government Secrets Act. You need to take this oath Sirius, then sign the Government Secrets Act paperwork."

Cissy and Sirius looked at each other then back at Amelia and he slowly took the pen and signed. Amelia picked up the phone and asked someone to join them to administer the oath, and a few minutes later Sirius was the second magical lord sworn to the Crown in recent memory, the first being Harry.

Once they had completed that task they sat quietly till Amelia began to explain the things that had gone wrong with their world.

Sirius's eyes held an anger she did not know he was capable of. "So, you are telling me that this is all centering on Harry?" He shuffled up more in the bed. "That Harry is some form of Unspeakable for the non-magical government, trained by one of their top agents? He is a world traveler? Dumbledore is a traitor? And someone has been manipulating our world for generations? Is that what you are telling me?" He banged his fist on the tray table.

Amelia nodded. "Yes, and if it hadn't been for that young man none of this would have come to light. He and his family are extraordinary. James was their top agent for twenty years, then spent the next ten with Harry. He has taken him around the world and trained him in-"

Sirius jumped on her with both feet. "And what gave them THAT right! He is just a kid! His biggest worry should be school and finding a girl to snog! Then for you to rope the Blacks into this by sending Nymphadora off to learn the same things, never mind the fact that he used his place as my heir to enforce it!" He flailed his arms and winced when his muscles pulled. "He is the last of the Potters and Blacks! If something happens to him _two_ families will disappear! I want him out! I'm still his godfather and I want him out of this!"

Amelia sighed. "He won't quit, Sirius. He wants this. James gave him the choice after the Basilisk. He chose to stay! He is the one that pushes the training… and as for girls... have you seen his friends?"

He glowered at her. "He doesn't need to be doing this!"

Cissy spoke quietly. "Then who would? He has people moving in the right direction, and he has someone watching his back-"

"She hasn't even finished her traning!" he yelled.

"And that is being taken care of, Sirius!" said Amelia. "As soon as she and Harry are back in the castle they will undergo more magical training! She has already completed her Hogwarts education, and has had training from the non-magical military! She will be ready! And we will get Harry trained up as well!"

"Merlin!" Sirius blew a breath out. "What a mess." He laid his head back against his pillow. He looked over at Amelia. "I thought you just wanted to know how they did things Amy. Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't Harry?"

"He didn't know you Sirius, and in many ways he still doesn't," she said sadly. "As for me… I wish I could have but when I was approached it was as head of the Bones family and DMLE. It was a direct request from the government, and I was sworn to secrecy about most things, but now…" She took a deep breath. "They knew you would want answers about why Remus did this, and would dig into it on your own. Let alone wanting to know why you were here and not in 's."

He nodded slowly. "And?" he asked.

"A team of specialists went to the house he rented, and to where he worked as a security guard." She paused and gathered her thoughts for she knew this was going to be a difficult subject. "They found two sets of fingerprints - the markings on the insides of your fingers, each person's are unique -" Sirius and Cissy looked at their fingers, "his and Albus Dumbledore's."

She let that sink in a moment then continued. "They tore the house apart looking for anything; they found something in the basement. A hidden storage area, clothes, potions, a wand, other things." She steeled herself for the next statement. "Something had been done to him. Potions labeled as Wolfs-bane were in a cabinet upstairs, that's not what was in the vials. It was a potion that mimicked the effects, making him think he was harmless… weak and asleep. It actually tore down the natural defenses being a werewolf gave him against domination. They were also highly addictive, using a cocktail of drugs to cover the pain left by the change."

Sirius looked stunned. She could see questions forming in his mind and continued before he could begin to ask them. "We don't know how long he was using them, but the effects on his body show it to be several years at the very least." He nodded in understanding.

"The part that worried us more is what we found in the secret area," she said taking his hand. "It was filled with Polyjuice under stasis charms, along with a large section of hair." She let out a ragged breath. "Sirius, his body was riddled with polyps associated with overuse of Polyjuice. He was dying."

Sirius's eyes clouded. Cissy gripped his other arm. "He was being used, probably by Dumbledore."

Tears ran down his face. "Who?" He looked up at her eyes. "Who was he replacing."

"Fenrir Greyback," she said quietly.

"The monster that made him?" Sirius shook his head. "Merlin, that bastard had him replacing the man that killed his family and made him a werewolf. He hated that man, and worshiped the ground Dumbledore walked on."

They sat in silence for a time each lost in their own thoughts. Finally Sirius spoke. "I want in." He turned his head toward Amelia. "You, Harry and my family," he said squeezing Cissy's hand, "are all I have left, and you are all in this neck deep. I am going to do anything I can to help."

"As am I," said Cissy. Sirius looked at her, questioning. "They are my family as well, and while I may not be Auror trained or a combat veteran, I am a witch! If nothing else I can help the non-magicals learn about our world."

Amelia nodded. "I am sure they will be glad to have your help."

"I will want to start traveling to the US to see Drake when he is out of school, I don't want him involved in this," she said.

"I'm sure that won't be an issue, Cissy," Sirius said with a smile. "I need training, Amy. I've got to be able to watch your back."

She smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that." She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "James and I have arranged for a place for you to recover and get back in shape. You will even have a workout partner or two." She smiled widely.


	65. Chapter 66

I own Nothing!

Edited by the MIGHTY pazed!

Read! Enjoy! And REVIEW!

**Chapter 66**

Harry sighed as he stepped out into the heat, sweat blossoming on his brow as soon as the sliding doors came to a close. As much as he loved the people here, and the land itself, the heat was something he would rather have avoided.

"Why can't I ever come here in the winter?" he mumbled making his way to the pickup of his contact and tossing his bag in the back.

He slid into the seat as the man spoke. "Welcome back Harry," he offered as he pulled out into traffic.

"Just once I'd like to come here when it is not so bloody hot," he said waving his shirt trying to cool off.

"Cooler? I think we have a day or two like that in January," the driver said with a chuckle.

"Humph!" Harry grunted. "Is everything ready?"

"Yeah, the gear you requested is there, at the barn. You can check it when we arrive... Where in the hell do you go out there?" Simon asked.

"Vacation… I like getting back to nature," harry replied.

Simon grimaced, he knew when to stop asking questions, _this_ was one of those times.

* * *

><p>Tonks walked toward the exit in the center of the crowd leaving the baggage area. Above the doors was a sign that read <em>Welcome to Williamsburg, West Virginia<em>. Slowing she scanned the vehicles outside till she spotted the license plates on a Ford Explorer. She stepped off the curb and walked toward the SUV.

She waved as she put a jaunty hop in her step and a man in his late fifties stepped out waving back, a wide smile gracing his face. "Grandpa!" she called, "You didn't need to pick me up!"

"You know your Grams would have skinned me if I had made you take a cab, pumpkin!" He moved to meet her on the passenger side of the truck.

"She knows you hate this traffic as much as I do." They hugged briefly and placed her bags in the rear of the vehicle. "Nice to meet you Mr. Leiter," she said quietly.

He smiled, "and you Ms. Harper." He slammed the tailgate.

A short time later they had merged into traffic and were on their way out of the airport. "So you're the one that Harry chose to watch his back?" he asked.

"I don't know about that, I still have a lot to learn," she said as she looked toward him, his face cloaked in shadows.

"At least she knows that much!" he muttered. "Well you were sent to me because you need to be up to speed on surveillance and counter surveillance as soon as possible. It will be my job to shoe horn everything I can into your spongy brain before the end of the summer." She almost balked at the thought. "It is your job to learn it all. It will not be fun and it will definitely not be easy. You will curse me before this is over, because I'll be damned if I let all the work that I have put into that boy be wasted because you can't do your damn job!"

He swerved through the traffic, making her jump more than once. "I am going to make you wish that you had never laid eyes on me!" They passed through a military checkpoint without slowing. "Welcome to Camp Swampy, or as it is better known The Farm! The CIA's primary training area."

* * *

><p>The Apache people are fierce warriors, that was all Harry had known about them the first time he had set foot in this village. Well that and what he had seen in the movies, but he had figured a lot of that was just Hollywood. The truth of the matter was that they were also an extremely old and kind people, how old was something even they debated.<p>

Harry stood watching the sun rise. "Good morning, Elder," he said to the shuffling sound approaching from behind.

"Good morning kit," said the old man, a smile crossing his face. Not just because of the young man's abilities, but because this morning he had remembered to wear his cap.

"Not practicing with your claw this morning?" he asked joining him.

"No, I can't practice with that blade any longer, the blade absorbed a powerful poison, and my practice blade is difficult to travel with," he replied.

"I see." He settled himself more comfortably. "Harry," The young man turned to look at him, he could not remember the last time the man had used his name. "It is good that you are recovered from your purification. There is much to be done and our time is short."

Harry nodded, as the Elder continued. "But first we must speak of unpleasant things." He looked into Harry's eyes. "The mesa, the one that has been forbidden to you after the ritual we used for your scar."

Harry wanted to look away, it had never been a place he had wanted to go again. He shuddered involuntarily. "Even now what is held there affects you. We must speak of it, kit."

Harry turned away, this was something he did not want to do. The Elder continued. "You may not want to but we must return to the mesa, and before we do you must understand what happened that day."

"What's to understand… I died!" he snapped. "I bloody well DIED!" He was breathing hard, on the edge of hyperventilating. "Lightning hit me! And I died!..." He tried to take a deep breath.

"Yes, you did," the Elder said sadly. "The ritual we used grew beyond what we expected." The old man reached over and turned the young man to face him again. "The magic that had infected you was strong, and the ritual used to cause it was the foulest of magics, fueled with sacrifice. The man that did the ritual was a monster."

Harry nodded. "His name was Tom, Tom Riddle. He called himself Lord Voldemort. He was the man that killed my parents."

"Yes that is the story that has been passed on by your uncle. This Tom, was a monster of the highest order." The Elder pulled a box out from under his blanket. "These objects were sent to us by your uncle, as they showed some of the same traits his people found in your scar."

He passed the box over and Harry opened it with a shaking hand. It contained a cup crafted of bronze with blue and white enamel sections, a silver locket emblazoned with a large S encrusted with emeralds, and a tiara made to resemble a stylized bird with a large light blue stone as the focal point. At the bottom was one thing he wished he never would have seen again… a leather bound diary.

"The book was brought to us by your father. It may have been destroyed, but they found residue of the same types," the Elder supplied.

"Riddle… You said sacrifice, what kind?" Harry asked, fearing he knew the answer.

"Human… A young child." He sighed. "Unlike the ritual I told you of, unlike the one that was used by the people to the south, this one was designed to be done by a single person. Not as a punishment but as a way to secure a form of immortality." He took the box back and closed the lid.

"A book was also brought by your father, _The Secrets of the Darkest Art_. He did not say where the book was obtained other than it, like these other objects was obtained by your uncle. It described the process. I believe it to have been derived from the ritual I described to you, but it replaces the ritual members and the pleas to the gods with the sacrifice of a child…"

"He was planning on using me?" Harry asked.

"That I cannot tell you, but I would not bet against it," he said. "It is a vile perversion of magic. Once the shards would have been used as a punishment for a crime, but this… For a person to willingly do such a thing, and sacrifice a child is the purest form of evil. How he actually managed such a feat is still unknown, that book only describes the ritual and its history."

Harry tapped the box. "You said they share the same attributes, are they all his?" he asked. "How many did he make?"

"That is one of the reasons they are looking for more information, not only about this Tom Riddle but the ritual as well. We have no way of knowing how many were created, but seeing as we have seen five there may or may not be more."

"And what do you need me to go back to the mesa for?"

"Enough time has passed that we will be able to see if any of the fragment remains. If not we will cleanse these objects using a similar ritual, then purify the Joshua Tree the fragments are anchored to."

"Purify?" he asked.

"Yes, it will be offered to Father Sky," said the Elder.

"When do you want to check my scar?"

"Once we reach the mesa. Till then I am going to send these," he indicated the box, "on ahead. Once we have verified you as cleansed you will be moved away from the other rituals, as we are unsure whether the other fragments would seek you out before they can be anchored to the tree."

Harry nodded slowly. "I don't know if I could go through that again."

"You had the blessings of Father Shy, and Mother Earth to survive the first ritual. We will show them our thanks by not taking any unnecessary chances with their good will," he said with a smile.

"Never let it be said that I tempt abusing that good will." He smiled weakly. "Did my father say where those other fragments were found?"

The Elder handed the box to a man dressed in the traditional raven costume. "I did not ask, but I suspect they will tell you if you ask."

Harry sighed, something else to deal with. The list just got longer and longer.

* * *

><p>'Today had been such fun!' thought Susan. She and Hanna had ridden the most beautiful horses, then had lunch in the garden next to the pool house (something called fried chicken, it was amazing!). Then they swam, and played muggle games in the pool house. Marta had even shown them how to use something called video games, and while they were not her cup of tea, Hanna had been entranced with Mario Brothers.<p>

While Hanna played, Susan had taken the chance to explore their summer home a little. She had found the kitchen quite easily and was quickly sent away with a bowl of ice cream, Fudge Ripple. Next she found the library, it was filled with muggle books and magazines and comfortable chairs around a table. Even better were the pair of plush seats near the fireplace.

She continued to walk the halls till she heard a voice behind a partially closed door. "I assure you they are comfortable, if anything I think Mrs. Abbott is looking forward to it…" She moved closer peering in. "But of course!"

Marc-Ange paced behind a desk as he listened, he reached down and picked up a picture. "Have you heard any thing from him?" He paused again, then continued, "I see… Yes, I fly out on the fourteenth; I am looking forward to see him again." He set the picture back on the desk, facing her direction. Smiling at her from the frame was a face she knew well.

Harry Potter….


	66. Chapter 67

For those who don't know, and care, today is the 50th anniversary of the Doctor Who Series, and a world wide broadcast of the 50th anniversary episode at 2:30 Eastern time US.

In other news I have been paying attention to your comments and thank you for them.

Someone asked about my schedule of posting in a PM so I thought I would tell everyone here, it is every two weeks for both of my stories.

As always edited by the mighty pazed!

Read! Enjoy! And Review!

**Chapter 67**

Patricia Fields sat comfortably in the leather seat of the first class section of the American Airlines 707 bound from Newark New Jersey to Miami. She had gone over every detail that had been reported by Grant, 002, and had even sat in on both the autopsies. The first being that of the smuggler Alejandro Serafim, then after an uncomfortable, and hasty ride crammed in a military transport bound for Washington, that of her associate Mark Grant.

She pondered everything she knew as she sipped her disappointingly made Manhattan. Mark had been thorough in his assessment of the safe house. She agreed with his assessment of the situation, the place was as secure as they could make it. An airborne assault was nearly impossible given the placement of the facility and the surrounding mountains; infiltration was possible but entry to the secure area of the house was made near impossible with the addition of those trembler things. Something Q was keen to duplicate.

As for the autopsies, those had been frustrating at best. Alejandro Serafim's chem panels had been negative, no form of drugs or toxins. No injuries visible, no general organ damage, no heart problems, all in all, if it were not for the fact he was dead, he was remarkably healthy.

What they did find was something the medical examiner was at a loss to explain. Upon further study of his brain a small amount of damage was found at the connection of the optical nerve, small electrical burns. The phenomenon was found again between the lobes of the brain. All of the burns were not readily visible, other than the miniscule area surrounding the connections of the optical nerve, but had shown up under magnification. Further investigation of the phenomenon was ongoing.

The original autopsy of Mark Grant had been carried out by the Miami/Dade Coroners Office, and it had been a brief one at that. He had been found face down in the gutter near a storm runoff drain. It had rained during the night, therefore explaining the lack of blood around the scene. The wound was of a type well known to them, it was the 'calling card' of one of the local drug rings, and seeing as he had recently flown in from South America… His death was presumed to have been connected with him transporting or selling drugs.

Of course this had not been the case, and his body had soon been retrieved and sent to Langley for another look, under the careful eye of one Felix Leiter. Patricia had gone through the case photos and reports at length on the plane ride across the pond. He did not have any defensive wounds nor any other unusual marks. Although a note had been made about numerous older scars leading the coroner to the belief that this man led a violent life and his form of death, by violence, was to have been expected… Would he have thought the same of her if she had been in Mark's place? Probably, she concluded.

As soon as she had arrived she was whisked off to the base medical center to attend her second autopsy in less than twelve hours. She was led to a white-tiled room filled with instruments and Mark's body on an aluminum table; it felt strange seeing him like that, she had worked with him on occasion and now here he was lying motionless on a coroner's slab, it was even more uncomfortable when they began.

The coroner had been meticulous in his work, each step checked and double checked. The first thing he discovered was that the apparent fatal wound had been inflicted post mortem, after the victim was deceased. It was noted that despite the individual's training and line of work, there was a distinct lack of defensive or offensive wounding. However the man had been killed it had been quick, and he had not had a chance to defend himself.

His tox' panel, American for his chems, had been negative other than a low level of alcohol, a .01 level. That with the addition of his stomach contents suggested that he had eaten and had a drink just prior to his death, consisting of a Cuban sandwich and a beer.

Playing on a gut feeling, she had them check for the same forms of burns as were found on Serafim. Her hunch had proven to be correct, burns had been found along with the same type of damage elsewhere found under magnification. Again further investigation would be ongoing.

She had a theory on the deaths now, one that while thin, was plausible. Whatever had caused that damage had killed them both. She had discussed it with the coroner, and while skeptical he had admitted _if_ the damage could have been done all at once it _may_ have caused Mark's death. She had to admit it was unlikely, but it was all she had on that front.

An announcement came over the intercom, "Flight 158 to Miami International will be arriving on time. Please secure all belongings and return your seat and tray to their upright position."

She shifted in her seat, checked her make-up then if her dark auburn hair was still secured in the bun she normally used when traveling, and straightened her jacket.

Her mind drifted back to the case as they prepared to land. Mr. Leiter, as a favor to James, had filled her in on the other side of the investigation, it had been rough going for them as well. The dates available to launch the satellite were few, as it needed to be inserted into a network of satellites. Therefore the launch was only possible at certain intervals.

All he could say about the project was that it was vital, and they needed to clear this up as soon as possible. So they had sat and discussed everything they could from both sides of the case. A leak had been found in the NASA program, one that had led to an information broker in New York. The investigation was stalling at that point because the subject had access to several high level programs and they were preparing to sweep them all up at one time, hopefully by the end of the week.

This moved the next possible launch window to the end of July, if the satellite checked out for sabotage; failing that it would be the middle of August. This gave them just over three weeks to conclude the investigation and make the first window.

She shifted her bag next to her and arranged her thoughts. She needed to see the area that 002 was found in, but she needed to be careful. They had caught him and would be on the lookout for someone following the same trail. She had several decisions to make about how to pursue the investigation, but first she would clean up, have a meal and some sleep. Then she would take another look at things and make a decision.

* * *

><p>Harry watched as the storm raged above the mesa, the lightning was now coming in sheets and the roar of thunder shook the ground like an extended earthquake. The clouds swirled and bubbled like an angry pot boiling over; he could feel the waves of pressure pushing down the sides of the mighty pillar of earth, even at this distance forcing him to brace against its push.<p>

Not a few short hours ago he had stood there, in the center of the mesa where now the eye of the storm raged. It had been a beautiful crisp and clear morning, the only signs that anything was different were the lone twisted Joshua Tree, and the absence of animal life.

The Elder had turned to him and said, "Kit, stand at the center of the circle of stones."

He had walked forward, pushing his way through an invisible wall that was marked by the circle of stones, it was like pushing his way through warm molasses. With a final push he was inside, behind him he felt a crackle of energy, as the circle of syrup snapped into a barrier more solid than the stone that marked its base.

He carefully stepped past the lines, careful not to disturb them. They were the edges of the designs from the original ceremony, the sand that had originally lain there had been burned away by the cleansing lightning etching the design into the rock of the mesa itself.

On the surface they were quite beautiful, a great twisting design, edges overlapping. But in Harry's mind they produced only one feeling, overwhelming pain. He could still feel the electricity dancing across his skin, arcing between the sky above and the ground below. Pouring through him time and again, white light filling his vision, thunder deafening him. Each second felt like it lasted an eternity.

Finally reaching the center he stopped and slowly looked up toward the rising sun. This was the first time he had seen the Joshua Tree since the day of the ritual. Once it had been a thing of beauty, an oddity, a tree unlike any he had seen in person, its arms reaching up to the heavens. But now it was twisted… wrong somehow.

He looked at it for a long time as the men dressed as the Coyote and Raven, as well as the Elder, moved to their positions around the circle. Why it seemed wrong was not really visible, as much as it was a wrongness to the air around it, it almost pulsed with malice.

With growing trepidation Harry followed the Elder's direction to lie once more where he had been originally. Memories of the first time flooding forward, it took all of his will to shove them to the side. The minutes passed with excruciating slowness, till the voice of the Elder rang out. "It is done! You may return to the base of the mesa Kit." His face had then broken into a gigantic grin as he leapt to his feet, only just keeping control of himself, and made his way off the mesa.

That had been early this morning, by mid-morning a storm had begun to blossom over the same area. By noon it looked like a torrential spring thunderstorm. Now, in the mid afternoon, it could only be described as what he had heard called a Super Cell, one not only capable of creating tornadoes, but one expected to create the most destructive varieties of the devastating storms.

With a sense shattering explosion of light and sound it came to an end, the clouds rolled away from the edges of the pillar of stone and off into the horizon on a stray breeze. Harry was one of those in the forefront of the group making their way back up the mesa.

When they arrived it was to a vision of an alien landscape. Great gouges had been carved into the stone, in seemingly random patterns. Inside these deep crevices glass glittered, fused from intense heat of the lightning. In the middle of the area stood three sections seemingly untouched. The first was the original ritual circle, although upon closer inspection the ground was now unblemished, all signs of the original ritual wiped clean. The second was a ring around the first, it had been the ring where the Elder and his fellow participants had been standing, all of whom were exhausted but being tended to.

The last was the one that Harry only approached after being urged to by the Elder, the Joshua Tree. Or at least that is what it had been. Now the type of tree it had been was unidentifiable, its limbs were twisted in odd directions and it had an almost human quality about it. And the air around it… it was dense with hate and anger, you could feel it pressing on you like a physical presence.

In some way it was also fascinating, he could feel it somehow inside him coaxing him to come closer. He moved toward it carefully, a half step at a time till he was within an arm's length of the blackened ground surrounding the tree. After every step the thing pulling at him felt stronger.

When he took the next step his foot slammed into the ground, halting his movement. Then he felt the thing's rage. Its power grasped at him again, this time it almost pulled him off his feet and onto the darkened ring of soil. Harry grunted with effort as he resisted, he braced himself against it then reached for his wand. "Incendio!" he whispered, flames poured from the wand's tip, and the tree burst into a column of flames.

He stood and watched as it burned an unhealthy greenish yellow, the smoke blacker than pitch. Some time later he felt a hand come to rest on his shoulder, and the voice of the Elder spoke softly. "You have done well. Think on this day, we will speak of it soon. Till then I must rest."

He felt the hand move off his shoulder, and the Elder turn and begin to walk away. Harry took one last look at the burning tree, and then went to help the Elder make his way off the mesa.


	67. Chapter 68

A big thanks to pazed for the edit, and doing a bit of research into after images! (She caught my flub!)

I'll be taking a week off, for a late Thanksgiving, so the next chapter will be out the 28th if all goes as planed.

As always I own nothing!

Read! Enjoy! Review! It the only payment any of the writers expect!

**Chapter 68**

Alastor Moody had been on the front lines against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. He had fought time and again against the rules that had been placed by the ministry staying their hand, forcing them to fight against killers with 'non-lethal' spells.

It had been a slaughter. The Auror force had been decimated, and there had been no way quick enough to bolster the ranks enough to turn the tide. He had watched as it had happened, and mourned every one lost.

Then suddenly, it was over. With their 'Lord' lost, his ranks scattered like what they were, cockroaches. Those that were suspected of being closely tied to the movement were suddenly crying that they had been used, bewitched. He knew better, gold had flowed and favors been granted, all to protect their own skins or the skins of their precious heirs.

It had made him sick.

Today had given him hope.

They moved against the first of the Unspeakables on their 'no-go' list, Alphonse Ruteger. He didn't know much about the man other than what Croaker had told him, at one time he was a highly skilled spell crafter and researcher. He was one of the oldest members of the Unspeakables, a veteran of almost sixty years. Once he was captured they had discovered that it was all a lie.

The 'original' spell work that he had been known for before his elevation to the Unspeakables had not been his own, according to the diary of a particularly gifted muggle-born that had been sorted to Ravenclaw during his time in school, which they had found tucked away in his desk.

But that is not what had thrown him the most. What he had learned next made him almost blind with rage. After their graduation, the man had kidnapped her and placed her in a cell hidden under his home, where she had stayed until her death, all the while creating new spells for him to 'discover' and use for his own devices. She had lived another twenty years that way.

By that time he was firmly entrenched in the Unspeakables, and had been 'researching' ways to combat the Unforgivables, spells that were thought to have no defense. From what he had told them during their interrogation, he had spent his budget, as well as what he had made selling sensitive information, gambling. Many a death could be laid directly at the man's feet.

Croaker had taken over as they had quickly completed their search and sanitation of the man's home, and they were soon walking quietly away from the darkened and now lifeless manor. When they reached the end of the block the pair of men spun on their heels and disappeared with two soft 'pops'.

Moody poured a tumbler full of firewhisky and handed it to his friend. "You said that you were prepared to do what was necessary, and tonight you proved it." He poured a glass of his own. "You're sure that you are ok with what was done?"

Croaker swallowed the mouthful of alcohol, savoring the burn. "Am I ok with it? No… But what we did tonight was necessary." He took another stiff drink. "When we join the Unspeakables we are told that there are only two ways out, death or the removal of our memory… but that is a lie. After a time the only way out really is death. Too many secrets in our heads, even if you found someone able to alter the mind of a fully trained veteran Unspeakable it may not be stable, and could fade over time. It had to be done."

Moody nodded, and gulped his drink. "What's next then?"

"Now that you're convinced… We get you sworn in, to do that we will need to meet with the only other person I trust at the Ministry."

"And exactly what am I swearing to?" the man asked.

"We… We are going to both swear the same oath, the original oath. An oath to the government as well as the people, the three of us will make up the new core of the Unspeakables. You will be in charge of operations, as well as physical and combat training, I'll head the research, development, and artifacts. While our third will stand as a vote outside the direct control of the department, a check on us if you will, that vote will be placed with the office and an oath taken close to our own."

"And who is this... third?" Moody asked.

"They have requested that they not be named till the oaths have been taken," Croaker replied. "After the oaths… We will continue to prune the disease out of our department."

* * *

><p>She now knew that she had made a mistake, it had been too easy and she had fallen into the same trap Mark had. She had followed the money. It was the first rule of investigation, everyone needs to get paid. The problem with that line of investigation is when it leads straight to the door of someone that <em><strong>wants<strong>_ you to follow the golden rule of investigation.

She hid herself deeper in the shadows, working frantically to pull her belt tighter around the makeshift bandage she had wrapped her leg with. Gathering her pistol, she pushed her way up and moved off between the pallets of boxes. 'What the hell is going on?' she thought, moving faster. 'Who the hell is this guy?'

It had started normal enough, with Patricia taking a stroll in Little Havana to start her day. Playing the tourist card to the hilt, she had shopped in the street market and explored what the local shops had to offer, all the while learning the lay of the land. She had seen exactly what she had expected, locals going about their day, the smell of wonderful foods filling the air... and the Cuban coffee… delicious.

Next she checked out the area Mark's body had been found in. It was near an apartment complex and adjacent to a quaint little park that held a small farmers' market. The place was populated during the day, but would be nearly deserted in the evenings.

After treating herself to a small lunch she explored some of the outlying buildings. It did not take her long to find the place she was searching for, a warehouse owned by Seraphim. It was small as warehouses went, and not overly tall. It had three loading bays and a smaller door that presumably led to the building's office, it looked like it was not built with the large long haul lorries in mind but rather smaller delivery vehicles. She decided she would pay them a visit later that night.

After watching the place closely for the last two hours, she had seen nothing but a quiet building. Music wafted down the street from somewhere, a nice steady Latin beat, laughter accompanying it. She slipped from her hiding place and made her way quickly to the door, pausing only moments as she worked the lock then tugging the door open. A soft beeping met her as she entered, leading her to the alarm panel. Reaching into her purse she pulled loose a small box and unwound a small card connected to it by wires. Working quickly she slid the box over the keypad and the card slid into the slot, ten seconds later the alarm chirped and the status light stopped blinking red and turned green. Smiling, she set about her work.

She had spent some time in the office, looking over paperwork, when something had felt off. It was a gut feeling she had come to trust over the years, so quickly replacing the files she had been photographing she moved toward the alarm panel.

Her ears strained to the point where the sound of her own breath seemed too loud, a rustle of fabric caught her attention and she flung herself away from it as green light flashed across her vision. Something exploded to her right and she felt a tug as something dug its way into her leg. She blinked her eyes praying for them to clear away the crimson after image left by what she presumed was the explosion.

She was sure that there was someone between her and the door to the outside, but that would have been out of the question anyway as the street would offer no cover. She rolled as she heard a man's voice shout something, and a crimson light flashed in the room. She pushed off the floor hard and almost fell again as her right leg refused to hold her weight correctly. Sliding to a stop behind one of the heavy metal desks, she grimaced as she pulled her leg in front of her seeing a hunk of metal sticking out of the wound.

"Does the little bird have a broken wing?" asked a voice from the darkness. "Poor little muggle, give up and I will make this quick," said the voice, with a British accent.

Patricia yanked the metal out with a grunt, then wrapped her belt around her leg and cinched it tight as a tourniquet, it would have to do for now. She pulled her pistol from the holster in the small of her back, and glanced toward the door she was headed for.

"Come out, little bird!" said the voice again. "Maybe we could even have some fun, before I kill you."

She shoved the rolling office chair in the opposite direction, and ran for the door, the voice yelled something that sounded like 'Abra Cadabra' as the green light flashed again, and something behind her shattered.

The door slammed open with a bang, as she crashed her way through and into the warehouse, dodging into the first aisle between stacks of boxes and shelves. With every step her leg throbbed and pain shot through her in jolts. Blocking the pain away she ran deeper into the maze of stored goods, coming to a stop in a patch of dark shadows. She tore a sleeve of her blouse loose, folding it quickly and laying it across the wound, then she loosened the belt and placed it across the bandage cinching it tight.

The voice once again pierced the darkness. "Come now little bird, I tire of this game! Show yourself and I will make your death painless!"

Gathering her pistol, she pushed her way up and moved off between the pallets of boxes. 'What the hell is going on?' she thought, moving faster. 'Who the hell is this guy?'

"So be it! I was done with this place at any rate! You can burn with it!" She heard the voice shout something about fire again and felt a tremendous heat flash through the room. Flames like she had never seen, black in color, leapt from box to box above her rolling across the room like a living blanket of dark flame. Ducking away from the rising heat she ran.

Soon she reached a concrete block wall, looking both directions she found nothing but more flame slowly licking its way down the boxes and shelves, almost as if it was pouring down the surfaces.

Patricia pulled a can of mousse from her purse pulled loose the cap and twisted the nozzle a full turn to the right and depressed the plunger three times in quick succession. She jammed it behind the shelving up against the wall, and ran back into the cover of the burning boxes, as an explosion shook the room.

Peering around the corner she made a mad dash for the hole she had made and out into the night, only glancing back for a moment to see the entire structure engulfed in impossible black flames.


	68. Chapter 69

**Chapter 69**

For the third time in three weeks Tonks was lost, but that was to be expected. Felix called it a practical exam… She had her doubts about that, to her it felt more like she was the rabbit to his real hounds.

The first day they had dumped her on a country road, she had six hours to make her way to civilization, and keep notes on anything suspicious… She failed. Not the making it to civilization part, that had been fairly easy. She was a woman in distress after all. What she had failed at was the observation part of the mission, she had missed the two teams in the wood that had been shadowing her as she walked, and the follow team's car when she had been picked up by the farmer. On the plus side she had seen the woman in the center of town, as well as the second team vehicle, but as Felix had said she would still be dead.

The next week had been worse; it had started in a van, but ended up with her being tossed from a helicopter, while still blindfolded, into someone's pool as the sun came up. Being wet, cold and chased by dogs was no way to start a morning! Her 'mission' background was she had escaped a holding facility in a hostile area and she needed to reach a predetermined diner in eight hours for extraction. What she had not known was that the local law enforcement had been notified of an escaped criminal matching her description and last seen in the area.

That little tid-bit of information had become evident when she was seen by a pair of state police as she was walking through an intersection. She was especially proud of the fact she had avoided them and their backup without cheating by changing her appearance with her metamorphmagus ability. She had also made note of, and avoided four of six surveillance teams, one of which was following her via a tracking homer hidden in her under garments (Felix had reamed her out for not changing _all_ of her clothing at the first opportunity). The last team had set up surveillance in the area of her extraction point and had made her as she had entered. She would have chalked that up to exhaustion but, as Felix had pointed out with some amount of anger, that was no excuse as she would often need these skills when she was in a much worse state.

Today though had been different. Today's 'mission' began with her being dragged from her bed, at what felt like only moments after she climbed in. She had been blindfolded, then put on a plane. When they landed she was thrown in the back of a van and driven around for what felt like hours, only to be dumped out like so much garbage from the still moving van.

Tonks rolled to a stop with a groan, then sitting up she yanked off the blindfold and took stock of her surroundings. She was in an alley, in an unknown city and had twenty four hours to make it back to the main gate of Langley… And here she was sitting in a puddle in the dark, still in her PJ's… wonderful…..

Sighing she stood and yelled at the still retreating white panel van's rear lights, "You could have at least brought me some shoes!" She stretched her arms, and rubbed her scraped shoulder. "I wonder where the hell I am?" She looked up and down the street. "Dumpster diving it is I guess."

She walked to the first dumpster and flipped the lid up. "Perfect… It must have been rubbish day," she said, looking inside the empty bin. "Damn you Felix…" She circled the dumpster, her eyes landing on the information for the company that serviced the businesses. "So New York City… crap… First things first, I need clothes." She started toward the far end of the alley.

* * *

><p>Harry sat next to the Elder, the light of the fire flickering across the walls of the cave. "Kit, you and this man Riddle, are connected on a magical level," the Elder said, gesturing to the objects before them. "This connection extends to each of these objects, and any other that he has created. I did not tell you the entire story of what I know about such things, nor did I tell your father or uncle." His voice sounded weary. "I gave my word many years ago that the secrets I must tell you now would follow me to the grave."<p>

He placed several bundles of herbs into the fire. "Breathe deeply of the smoke, my grandson." Harry was taken aback by these words, and deeply honored. "The others have been told to leave us be till the morning." The Elder made a scooping gesture in the smoke with his hands, breathing in deeply. Harry followed suit.

"Within the smoke you will see as I did." Forms began to take shape, and colors bled into being.

"I was much younger then, a healer. I traveled with a few others to your homeland. It was a time of war against a madman, and his followers." Images of a burning London filled the smoke. "After the invasion of the mainland information was found of another war, one hidden in the shadows, the leader of which was a man steeped in your world's magic. But this man had also traveled the world and had delved into many of the other mystical secrets of the world."

Images shifted till a man with a short beard, and dark eyes appeared. "Grindelwald," Harry said with a hiss.

"I never knew the man's name," the Elder continued. "I was part of a group attached to the American troop movements. Officially we provided medical treatment to field personnel, a field hospital. I was a member of the motor pool." He smiled as the smoke blurred into other faces, friends Harry thought. "In truth we were to support troop movements and deployment when possible with our magic." A sadness filled his eyes. "Unfortunately this proved to be difficult in most instances, if not impossible. The differences in weather patterns from those at home proved difficult to gauge. We found ourselves more and more often fulfilling our official roles, unless sufficient time could be given to study and prepare for a task."

A mountain range began to form in the images, along with a dark castle. "We were ordered into an area in the upper Alps," Harry fidgeted as he watched. "We were to lend support to a unit that was to assault the castle, help cover their approach. However when we reached the rendezvous the assault had begun, more than twenty-four hours early."

Above him the castle image was bathed in an unholy light, as spells and flames flashed across the landscape. The scene then took on a more personal view as it focused in and became the Elder's vision of the battle. "We advanced as quickly as we could, finally joining their own healer just beyond the outer area of the battle." Before them lay the carnage of a full scale battle unlike any Harry had ever seen. "Your cousins were brave, facing an overwhelming force and pushing into the castle proper."

A large explosion destroyed the section of wall surrounding the portcullis, behind it sat an iron behemoth. A tank half again as large as the Mouse, the Germans' largest tank that tipped the scales at just over two hundred tons, its engines roared like a great beast. Its gun thundered and a sickly green fire belched from its barrel, and another section of the wall exploded, the pieces falling on friend and foe alike. The monster moved forward with surprising speed, pushing some chunks of the wall out of the way while crushing others. As it turned and gave a side view the image froze. "It was called Fabelwesen... a fabled animal... a monster.,,"

"It was the most terrifying thing I personally saw that night. Later we found many disturbing things about its creation." Harry looked closely at the vehicle before him, he saw spells that tore chunks from the castle walls bounce away harmlessly. "This machine alone was close to breaking the assault." The Elder's face clouded, as the image moved again. "We quickly organized a desperate gamble…" A slow chant began as the monster's gun rotated for a shot toward a group taking cover, clouds overhead gathered and boiled, flashes appeared in the sky above as the thing fired, wall and body parts flew into the sky. After what seemed like an eternity, lightning crashed into the tank, its armor rang like a great bell then a green bolt shattered the sky as it erupted from the tank's surface. Again the lightning crashed down from the clouds, and another green bolt erupted upward.

"Three of us passed on that night, as we tried to hold the storm together and guide the strikes. Father Sky saw our need and…" A final flash, one that obliterated his sight crashed down, when the vision cleared the tank sat still, smoking. "That was our small part of a much greater battle."

Harry watched as the view pulled back, and the dawn broke across the battlefield. Bodies and carnage littered the landscape, blood coated the ground; it was the horror of war. All Harry could think was that his grandfather, Charles Potter, was someplace out there. Had he died yet? How had he died?

The vision then closed on the tank. "This is what I must show you." They watched as the disembodied vision seemed to climb up onto the tank and peer inside. Inside was a charnel house. Bodies of the crew caught the eye twisted and burnt, but that was not what kept their attention.

At first the mind had trouble comprehending what it saw, but slowly Harry's mind made sense of the armored far wall. Arranged on the inside wall were large vats encased in steel, each holding a dismembered body. Five in total, three men, two women missing their arms and legs, all of them submerged in a greenish blue liquid. Cables ran from the vats into the wall of the tank. Steel plates obscuring the greatest parts of them, each body bobbed slowly in the fluid, their mouths still moving in silent screams.

"Those poor souls… they were still living… When we looked over the vehicle we found that…" The Elder's voice faltered. "That thing had no source of fuel… and the engine was more like an electric generator than an engine." He finally looked away and the vision faded. "They were being used to power it… We found other vehicles inside… as well as other… bodies…"

Harry turned away as well, his stomach rebelling, the sight of those people burning into his mind. It was several minutes till the Elder spoke again. "I believe that what those objects held," he pointed toward the things that had been cleansed, "were the beginnings of what I saw that night. It was a punishment originally, one given for the most repulsive of crimes against their people. The soul would be sundered into pieces, and the pieces used for the betterment of the people for a time, crop protection chief among those. When the time prescribed by the priest was reached, the soul pieces were gathered and the soul released to pass on and be judged by the gods."

"How this person learned of this, or of the way to do such an act I cannot say, but it is evident that someone has access to at least some of the information from that castle. The fact that he has done this to himself leads me to believe that he does not have access to all the information, as I have no idea of how it may have affected him."

"Are you sure he did it to himself?" Harry asked.

"There is only one magical signature to the original objects… Until the one that had been placed within you."

"**ME!**" Harry cried.

"Yes Harry, you… What happened I have no idea but something happened and a part of his soul was sundered and attached to you. What he was hoping to accomplish by doing this…"

"Immortality… He was looking for immortality," Harry said, his voice trailing away. "The name he chose for himself says it all, Lord Voldemort, French for flight of death. It is an anagram of his real name."

"So he was trying to use the slivers to cling to life? A drastic if foolish notion. At least you can be assured that he does not have the full information on what was created in that castle."

Harry nodded, that would have been the last thing they would have wanted to see. "He seemed to hate all things from the non-magical world. He was one of the blood purists, their leader…"

"And he is not dead… not completely." Harry turned to face the Elder. "These were not all of the pieces. We have released many, but not all. There is still a connection to you, it is very weak but still there."

"Is it dangerous?" Harry asked.

"Unfortunately, I do not know, but it is substantially less than it was originally, even less so now with the tree destroyed…" He placed his hand on the young man's shoulder. "You are already a powerful warrior, and are growing each day. I believe in you enough that I think of you as part of my family."

"Thank you Elder… Grandfather…" Harry smiled up at him.


	69. Chapter 70

Again I own nothing!

Edited by the MIGHTY pazed!

**70**

'Not bad,' Tonks thought as she stepped onto the subway car headed toward Midtown Manhattan, 'only an hour and I'm presentable enough to get by.' Her mind clicked over plans, dismissing some of them almost as quickly as they came.

One stop had been all it had taken to get her this far, one church, and a suitable sob story about being thrown out by her boyfriend had netted her a set of clothing and twenty dollars to get her to her mother's.

She watched the stations flicker by as the train moved toward the city center, each drawing her closer to her next goal, and a chance to try something that Harry had taught her in Tokyo. She stepped away from the train in mid-town, walked to the first office building then down the side alley to the rear entrance and inside. It did not take her long to find the janitor's area filled with cleaning supplies and, more importantly their lockers. Jamming the door shut she made quick work of rummaging through the lockers for any cash and a set of building maintenance gear. She shed her clothing, pulled on the uniform and piled a few cleaning supplies on a cart and headed off toward the maintenance lift.

Two hours later, a brunet business woman exited the building, briefcase in hand, her hair up in a loose bun held in place with a pair of black lacquered chopsticks and wearing a pair of stylishly framed glasses. She stepped with purpose across the sidewalk and into the waiting limousine. Once inside she smiled to herself at how easy it had been. Harry had been right, if you look like you know what you are doing no one questions you. The nice people in the office of Langinsteen and Mearl, an advertising agency, had even offered their prospective client a ride back to the train station.

The rest of the trip went off without a hitch, and before three pm she drove up to the gates of Langley in a white Buick Regal, which she had liberated from long term parking. Ten minutes after that she was sitting across the desk from Felix telling him how enjoyable her day's outing had been.

As her story concluded Felix's stony face cracked into a grin. "I guess congratulations are in order, you passed the exercise with flying colors. My teams never even caught a whiff of you, and they had staked out the train station... how did you manage to slip through them?"

Tonks smiled back at him. "Oh, I saw some of your people… they were looking for someone buying a ticket or entering the platform from the main building… They looked right past the woman walking next to the porter with all her luggage… and going directly to the train... did you know you can still buy tickets from the conductor on board?" she asked.

Felix laughed. "I take it it was not your luggage?" She shook her head. "Well you now hold the third quickest time completing that assignment," he said shaking her hand.

"Third?" She looked at him oddly.

"Yeah, James and Harry hold the top places… James even managed to make it into my office on his own, said he flew in on a military transport shuttle flight. Harry showed up at the front gate with a young woman driving him all the way from the city in a Porsche... he was ten at the time."

* * *

><p>Sirius sat in his wheelchair in his new room. It was his first time in a room like this since the week he and James had visited Lily's parents, the Evanses. It was the summer of their seventh year not long after James's parents had been killed, and James was a wreck without her. So, he and his best friend had moved into a muggle hotel close by, while James had worked on what to say and a way to get her father alone to ask for her hand in marriage.<p>

He flipped through the channels on the television using the remote control; he had laughed at that originally… they had created a wand… to work a telly! He settled on football. "Cissy?" he asked looking over his shoulder toward the kitchen.

"Hmmm… Yes Sirius?" the woman replied.

"What time was my first appointment?"

She looked up from the instructions for the microwave at the clock. "They should collect you at any time." She picked up the package next to her and crinkled her nose, but followed the instructions on the package placing it in the box, shutting the door and pushing the correct buttons.

The box began to hum as a light came on inside, and in short order something inside the package popped. Four minutes, and a few ouches from burnt fingers later, she tasted her first popcorn. "Ohhh… Sirius you need to try this!"

She brought the package in and handed it to him. "Popcorn?" He smiled down at it. "I haven't had any since… James insisted we see this movie… Caddyshack…" He pulled out a warm handful.

"I made it with that microwatt thing," she said.

A knock came at the door. "Well, that will be them." He looked up at Cissy. "You know how to work this thing?" he asked handing her the remote control.

"I messed with it last night, after you were asleep. We need to get the house wired for electricity soon. I like the show on BBC1 last night, Chef, it was quite humorous."

"Hmmm…" He grunted non-committedly, as he was pushed toward the door.

The woman dressed in white greeted them as the door opened, looking at her clip board. "Mr. Black? My name is Ingrid, I will be in charge of your rehabilitation…"

A gasp came from Cissy as she saw the man sitting across the hall with another helper, "David!"

The man looked up at her, confusion on his face, "Pardon? Do you know my brother?"

"I'm sorry!" she said apologizing. "I thought… well… Yes…" She finally said, "My name is Narcissa Black." She offered the man her hand. "I went to your home in place of my cousin, Sirius, when…" She looked at the other people in the hall, "when… the _improvements_ were being completed on your home, Mr. Granger."

Dan looked from one person to the other, then smiled. "Then you have our thanks for your help." He gestured to his wife and daughter in the entrance to his room. "This is my wife Emma, and daughter, Hermione."

Sirius's eyes brightened. "Hermione… I seem to know that name…" he appeared to think for a moment. "Cissy? Do you know that name?" now facing her, so Hermione could not see his wolfish grin. "I don't know where though…" He looked back toward the young woman. "You don't happen to know someone named Harry?"

Hermione seemed shocked for a moment. "You know Harry?"

"Hmph… I hope so… I'm his godfather, and if those weren't his nappies I was changing Lils got one thing in her life _very_ wrong!" he said with a smile.

Her face fell, "Then it couldn't be him, his mother's name was Tracy…"

Now Sirius felt really bad. "No… It is the same person…" His face and eyes held the same pain as his voice. "This was before…" He faltered, "before he was adopted by the Bonds. I was friends with his parents… the Potters."

Silence settled in the hallway till Ingrid spoke. "Mr. Black we must be going."

"Hmm... Yes… Please, if you need anything please just ask," Sirius said.

Dan looked up at Emma, who gave a slight nod. "Mr. Black, we would be honored if you and your cousin would join us for dinner."

Sirius looked at Cissy for a moment then back. "It would be a pleasure."

* * *

><p>Harry stomped his way down the nondescript hallway, muttering to himself. As soon as he had had his discussion with the Elder he had begun preparing for his return trip. He had ridden out of the desert at a hurried pace, and had been on the first plane available out of the US bound for England. The longer it had been the more it sank in what had been going on. He had been running and re-running ideas all the time scribbling in a pad he had picked up on the way to the airport.<p>

So now he found himself making his way to a meeting in the most secure conference room in Britain. He looked at his watch and picked up his pace, it would not do to keep the Prime Minister waiting.

When he opened the door he was face to… well wand with three people. Amelia Bones he had half expected, as he knew the Head of the DMLE would be in attendance, the other two however were a surprise.

The man furthest away was short, and a little on the plump side, and almost bald with what remained being a remarkable silver grey. Just the other side of Amelia stood a man that had seen better days. His leg had been replaced with a peg right out of a pirate movie, and his missing eye was replaced with an eye-like orb held in a brass frame.

Amelia smiled when she saw him. "Nice to see you Harry." She waved her hand and the others lowered their wands.

"Aunt... Madam Bones," he corrected himself. "Gentlemen." He nodded. "Are they ready for us?"

She shook her head. "Not quite, each person is being searched and tested as they enter. We are the last."

He nodded, and waited his turn.

He came in last and the guards bolted the doors behind him, as he wiped the remnants of the Thief's Downfall water from his face and walked to the podium in the center of the U-shaped briefing room. "Thank you for your time, Prime Minister, ladies, gentlemen." He placed his first drawing in the overhead projector. "Lights please, and lower the screen."

As the room dimmed he flipped on the overhead projector. "This man's name is Albus Dumbledore…" He went on to explain what he had learned over the last few weeks, showing drawings he had made as illustrations for his presentation.

When the lights came up Harry took stock of the faces before him; most looked at him in disbelief, but those that knew him looked horror struck.

"And what conclusions have you drawn from this?" asked the Prime Minister.

"Surely, sir, you do not take this… nonsense seriously!" one of the men said, off to the Prime Minister's right.

This outburst caused the room to break into a shouting match, during which Harry calmly poured himself a glass of water and took a drink, the Prime Minister's eye's never moving from him.

"ENOUGH!" the Prime Minister yelled. He turned to the man that had originally spoken. "For your information, I do believe him! He has seen more and done more than most people in this room!" He looked at some of the others in the room. "I understand that it is difficult to believe... but magic is real! And we must accept that fact! Those of us in this room are charged with understanding what may be a threat, and or a danger to the people of our country! We non-magicals need to come to grips with an entirely different skill and ability set, just as the magicals included here are coming to grips with our technology!"

He continued, "They are just like us! They too have madmen, and terrorists, where ours use a gun theirs use a wand. We can help and learn from each other as well, we are all British!"

"Now! As you were saying Mr. Bond."

"I believe our priorities need to be shifted." He pulled out a page and slid it back into the projector. "As I said, this man is Gellert Grindelwald, it is said that he was captured and imprisoned by Dumbledore… I think that is a lie." A grumble crossed the room. "To verify this we need to gain access to Nurmengard. Next we need two teams to look into this castle and the experiments done there; if we run across such an abomination or some other thing created with magic he found elsewhere we must be better prepared."

The Prime Minister nodded. "Mr. Croaker, have you seen this form of magic or something like it before?"

The plump man Harry had seen outside nodded. "Something like this existed in Sumeria, and into the time of the Egyptians, they used canopic jars to hold the souls of the priests and guardians to protect the Pharoahs in the after life. Occasionally one will be found intact and a protector will rise, but most of the time the magic has faded, the container damaged, or some other problem has arisen. They are fragile, and the process for their creation was thought lost."

Ragnarok spoke, "We too have run across the ones in Egypt, we have developed ways to deal with them as well, it is a skill taught to our curse breakers. These however are quite different, those are made with a dutiful sacrifice, some forms of these are made with a sacrificial binding, and in some rare cases the life force of a child has replaced the blessing of a patron god…"

Harry nodded. "Mr. Gold is correct. As it was explained to me, sacrifices would be made over time and power built up, then released to create the ones used in South America."

One of the men asked, "What forms of sacrifice?"

Harry thought a moment then spoke. "I will not sugar coat this, it could be most anything. Flowers, food, ritual dancing… Human." Murmurs filled the air. "They were a warrior culture, and their enemy's blood was highly prized as a sacrifice."

"And they still exist?" another member asked.

"Not as such," Harry replied. "They were lost to the invasions of the conquistadors, and the illnesses that followed. What Gellert did was a… reconstruction, and a perversion of an ancient rite of victory, and while distasteful to us in modern times, quite acceptable among most peoples at some point in their history."

The discussions went on late into the night.


	70. Chapter 71

**Hey ALL! And sorry about the extra week! The entire house was down with the flu and I couldn't think strait enough to do the story justice.**

**If you have a question or a suggestion, write me. I try and send answers.**

**I own nothing!**

**READ! ENJOY! And REVIEW! It is the Only payment I can expect so...**

**Sorry but this is a short chapter, as I needed to stop here for the sake of the next chapter.**

**Chapter 71**

James stepped from the hotel out into the morning sun, already wishing that he was here on pleasure rather than business. Miami had always been one of his favorite cities, sun, warm waters, and white sand… he smiled as he looked out toward the ocean, then again if he had to be honest about it the bikini clad sun worshipers may have something to do with it.

He turned away from the beach and headed toward the bar, as he mentally ran the report from Patricia that had had him on the first plane bound towards the US. As he had read it the pieces had started to fall into place, each a little more discouraging. Someone was using a magical as an assassin.

James ordered a mojito, and scanned the room as he waited, as he added in the things he knew about what they had learned of the magical world in the UK…. The picture wasn't pretty.

"Malfoy…" he muttered under his breath. Where had the people gone that he had sold? Who were the buyers? What had they done with them? All questions he needed answers to.

He watched as Patricia entered the room and made her way to the bar. She was dressed in a white sundress and limped slightly. He smiled to himself, an unreported injury, not that he expected anything different… and not like he hadn't done the same.

She made her way over to his table, drink in hand. "James… I wasn't expecting you to…"

He handed her a bottle of insecticide from out of his briefcase. "You might want to use some of this… mosquitoes are bad around here," he said in challenge, slightly miffed that she had not followed protocol. Especially in light of the attack.

She startled, and took the bottle. "…they are only bad at night, but no need to take chances." She sprayed the contents of the bottle on her face and arms, noting that it lacked the aroma and oily texture of the actual product.

She went to hand it back but James waved his hand. "Keep it. It is part of your kit as of today." She looked at him oddly, but slipped the small canister into her purse. He swallowed the remainder of his drink and stood. "Let's take a drive."

Ten minutes time found the couple driving up Hwy 1 along the coast, a steady thrum coming from the Lotus S4 as the miles melted away behind them. James's lips were pursed. "If I ever hear of you jumping protocol on a meet again you'll be spending your foreseeable career in the records department filling expense account hardcopies! I don't care if you are meeting the Queen herself, we do not blow simple meets!" She nodded, knowing that not only was he right she deserved the dressing down. "I need to hear exactly what happened, and your impressions... the things that didn't make it in the report… like your leg."

He watched as she flinched, her hand closing across the bandage around her leg. She took a deep breath and spoke. "He had the drop on me… I'm still not sure how." She paused as her mind rewound and played the events. "I went in through the front, and bypassed the alarm. I decided to start in the manager's office, I had just finished the desk when I… felt something… I knew something was wrong. The next thing I knew I was behind a desk, my leg was bleeding and he was shooting at me…. Calling me little bird, and something about mugging…"

"Muggle?" James asked.

She turned her body to better face him. "Yeah… then…"

"Green or red flashes of light?"

Her eyes narrowed, "You've seen something like that before?"

He kept his eyes on the road, but nodded. "Yes, something we have encountered recently. Did he say anything else? I need you to think hard, anything could be important."

"This is going o sound stupid… _Abracadabra_…" she said softly.

"Avada Kedavra…" he said.

"Defend you?"

"Diffindo…" he said, then continued, "When he said Avada Kadavra, it was a green flash, the red was Diffindo."

Her mind was racing. "A voice activated weapon?"

"Something like that," was his reply.

"What about the fire? Was what he used some form of new accelerant? What the hell burns black? And down instead of up?"

"I asked our expert before I left the UK, it sounds like something called Fiendfyre, it will burn almost anything."

"And where do these weapons come from?" she asked, after a long pause.

"That is a long story." He could almost feel her aggravation at that answer, and the pause after as he thought about what he wanted to do. "I am giving you the chance to opt out of this mission at this point."

She looked at him stunned, Opt out? Walk away from the mission?

James continued, "This is an Alice through the looking glass type of thing, and will be long term if you choose to move forward. It will not reflect on you or your career if you choose to not continue this mission."

She looked at him with wide eyes. 'What the hell?' she thought. "I want to see this through! That little bastard almost had me, and I…"

"This is **not** about payback!" He gripped the wheel tighter. "This is much larger! And if you choose to continue you _**will**_ need to remember that!"

She nodded her understanding. James slacked his grip then spoke again. "This is an important mission Pat, you need to be sure."

She sat straight in the seat again, and watched as the beach passed. If he was giving her this option… "Alright, I'm in."

James glanced at her. "You're positive, once you are read into the mission there is no going back."

"Yes."

"Ok." He took a deep breath, and began. "This is a highly compartmentalized operation. As of this moment you answer only to myself or M. No other orders are to be accepted from this point on, all reports are to be my eyes only. Your mission rating is now of the highest priority, and you will have unrestricted access to any available mission resources."

"Unrestricted…" She was stunned, that meant she could requisition anything… equipment, personnel… anything!

"Yes, but that doesn't mean you will not need a valid reason for the requisition." He smirked, "So no out of the ordinary expenses please. The file that you are about to be read in on is difficult to believe, I have lived it for almost thirteen years and still find it hard to believe sometimes… Magic is real."

* * *

><p>M stepped into the room through the leather covered door, followed closely by the three magicals that had been part of the briefing. She sat on the desk at the front of the office. "Amelia, gentlemen." She gestured to the chairs. How do we get access to the prison?"<p>

Croaker looked from M to Amelia then at Moody and back. "May I ask Ms. M?"

"Yes? Mr. Croaker was it?"

"Ummm… Yes." Croaker looked confused. "You're in charge?"

"No." She smiled. "In charge of MI6 and the majority of operations, at this point, yes."

"But… how…"

"James Bond, Harry's adopted father, has been part of MI6 for a very long time," she said. "And my agency has been a part of this initiative from its inception. But that is neither here nor there. We need access to Nurmengard, we need to gather the rest of Dumbledore's secrets as quickly as possible. We are still playing catch-up in his game."

Amelia nodded, "We can get access as soon as a new Chief Warlock has been seated and a vote has been taken for a new representative to the IWC."

"I'll pass that along," M replied. "The new IWC representative needs to be someone that has no say in the government… Someone that is not on the Wizengamot either… We need that person to be easily isolated as the makeup of the IWC is still suspect. We know that other governments do not trust them and restrict access, we need to do likewise."

The three older magicals looked at each other, finally Amelia spoke. "We'll make a list of possibilities."

M took the opportunity to stand, "Good. I take it your meeting with Major Boothroyd went well?"

Moody chuckled. "Aye, he will make a fine addition to the department."

Croaker shook his head. "He seems capable but what does he know about magic?"

M smiled. "More than you would think, he is a quick study. Never underestimate Q. As for the decision to make him your third, he _was_ the short list. Your department is in need of a major overhaul not only of personnel and security, but in safety. He will help make sure that you and your new department become top notch."


	71. Chapter 72

**If you have a question or a suggestion, write me. I try and send answers.**

**I own nothing!**

**READ! ENJOY! And REVIEW! It is the Only payment I can expect so...**

**Chapter 72**

Cape Canaveral is larger than one would expect, and is made up of three sections; the first is Cape Canaveral Air Force Base, then Port Canaveral, and finally the Kennedy Space Center. All three are independent but are required to work closely together with a minimum of disruption.

Port Canaveral was once home to many specialized ships to both monitor and/or aid in the recovery of space vehicles. A few are left over such as the ones used to recover the solid rocket boosters for the space shuttle. Today it is more of a commercial port, one that is home to several cruise ships. It is very public, and an extra person can be lost in those crowds. It was here that Patricia chose to make her entry.

James, on the other hand, went for a more direct approach and joined a tour group inside the Kennedy Space Center itself, slipping into the group as it entered a bus bound for the assembly building on a tour; he had chosen the tour just after the noon hour to make his entry.

The reason for the choice was one he had learned from experience. In the mornings people tend to be more social, mixing and moving about more increasing the likelihood that something out of place will be noticed. By the time lunch has passed however, most people are in a work mode. They tend to spend more time with their heads down and concentrating, they also tend to be a bit listless and less observant due to fatigue and the noon meal.

Although this could also lead to problems if you were not familiar with the cultural habits of those you were infiltrating. While the Americans went to lunch at noon almost like clockwork, if he was going to use this strategy in, say, Italy he would not move till after three as they tended to eat later and have a longer meal, and in Japan he would not do it at all, and would wait till just before the end of the business day.

James had broken away from the group cleanly, and made his way through the halls with a quiet efficacy, memorizing each twist and turn. Security in this area was loose, but he knew that the further he went toward the assembly area the tighter the security. A grin grew across his face, he loved this part of the job, the challenge of doing the near impossible, and had forgotten how good the rush of doing it felt.

* * *

><p>James looked down at his watch, a Bulova Deep Sea Coronagraph, its softly glowing dial reading three am. This part of the job he had willingly forgotten, the waiting. He knew that the bastard would come soon, he only had three days left, it was now just a question of when.<p>

He had taken up a position just outside the final assembly area. While his view was restricted, he was in a position that offered unobstructed observation of the satellite. He shifted his weight, trying to restore circulation to his legs. Hiding among the gantry struts of the indoor crane had its drawbacks; it was hot, tight and altogether uncomfortable, but it did offer cover from both the thermal and ultra-sonic motion detectors used throughout the room.

Getting in had been a trick, security was tighter than he expected, but this project had had a credible threat against it. The real problem had been the armed guard patrols. He had watched the tape of them wandering the halls for over two hours to find the flaw in the pattern and without Q branch's little black boxes (clip them to the wire of a security camera and they would record a four hour loop of video), evading them would have been impossible.

He had wondered why someone was after a communications satellite. From what he had been able to find it was just what it seemed, a satellite communications system; but seeing it up close he found it was something much different.

True it was a communications platform, but it also held some… optional extras. At least three high powered cameras were still being tested, and they looked beyond anything he had ever even heard of, the next generation of next generation technology.

This was what somebody wanted to stop. From what he knew about this satellite it was the last of eight that made up the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite System (ACTS). A system that, on the books, was a dual task system. The first was part of the Mars Rover project, a high powered transmitting and receiving platform to reestablish control of the rover after the original failed. The second part used the transmitter as a military grade encrypted communications system for embassies, although it could be used for covert ops as well. What was not widely known was that the satellite was also tasked with part of the Global Positioning System, backups for a system that was already twenty-five years old. The addition of the cameras interested James, and he would report them of course, but his first priority was the defense of the satellite against a terrorist.

He settled in again, the pain in his legs relieved at least for the moment. Between the warmth and the silence he was almost to the point of nodding off. The only thing holding slumber at bay was the mental discipline to stay focused on the task at hand honed by years in the field.

With a loud 'CRACK' five men appeared in the center of the room; they stumbled but kept their balance as the alarms began. They reacted quickly and began firing colored bolts in every direction, as if they expected to arrive in the midst of an enemy.

Cursing himself he blinked furiously, trying to clear his vision. He'd been a fool, he had expected an infiltration not an assault. His position was based on it being a lone agent, or perhaps a two man team, but this was a five man assault unit.

James gathered his feet under him and moved to the far side of the gantry, as he lifted his silenced Walther and took careful aim. Then he pulled the trigger twice. The air flashed in front of the closest person as the first bullet impacted the shield spell, but the second met no resistance and the man spun in place and dropped to the ground, blood seeping from the head wound.

He pulled back behind the steel superstructure and started climbing the ladder to the next level. He could hear yelling but the wail of the alarms covered most of it. James slipped up onto the catwalk and peeked over the edge to see three men standing guard as the fourth rolled their companion onto his back.

James took aim again and fired three times in quick succession, the shield on the one farthest to the left flared brightly, then again weakly. The third round however tore into the man's shoulder. His wand arm dropped useless to his side the wand clattering away.

James had learned a lot from watching the tape of Harry's encounter at the train station. The shield that they used had a serious flaw. While a single round of a small caliber weapon could be deflected by a normal shield, and while it could be bolstered by the wizard to stop a second bullet it needed to be re cast afterward - leaving the person vulnerable for a few seconds.

James moved again, he knew that them not knowing where the next attack was coming from was his best defense. He ran down the catwalk, firing the remaining rounds toward a third man, skidding to a halt behind another section of the crane as he reloaded.

He took two quick deep breaths and chanced a quick look toward the team. He watched, fascinated, as one of them spun on his heel and disappeared. He was just taking aim again when a splash of green impacted the metal near his head showering him with sparks.

James spun to his left dropping as he did so, the third man was running toward him down the catwalk. Another spell leapt from his wand, this one a sickly yellow, that impacted where James had been standing moments before.

James snapped off three shots in quick succession, as he sprang to his feet. The man's shield flared once, the other two shots missing as he flung himself to the side.

He was unprepared for what happened next; as the man waved his wand the steel of the catwalk flexed and bowed, ripping itself up and reforming to the wizard's will into a makeshift barricade.

Rather than fight here where he had no cover, James ran. He knew that the effective range of most spells was short, less than twenty or so yards. Beyond that they lost power, and became more difficult to aim. He needed to put more room between them.

He stormed up the catwalk toward the control room for the crane amid a hail of spell fire from below. Sliding to a stop inside, and slamming the heavy metal door closed, he began flipping switches, bringing the monster to life.

The giant arm, that reached across the assembly area from one side to the other jolted into motion, its mighty claw dropping down onto the platform between the men below. It hit with a thundering crash. James then jammed the joystick to the right pulling the claw across, ripping the steel platform to shreds and dropping the pair into the darkness below.

James was almost knocked from his feet as some form of spell impacted the control room door. He turned to face it as another impact shook the cabin. Reaching into his pocket he withdrew and snapped the asp to its fighting length, his only choice was to be ready when the door broke.

But that impact never came, James stood in the cabin breathing hard, eyes flickering from the door to the window, his back to the far wall. Almost a full minute passed, then as suddenly as the sound had begun the alarm claxon came to an end.

A voice came in from outside, "Anti-apparition and port-key wards are in place. Throw out your wand and surrender."

James startled at this. 'What the hell?' he thought. He edged closer to the glass of the control room. Below stood a group of men dressed in grey uniforms, each wearing a tactical vest and carrying Heckler and Koch MP5s with collapsible stocks on tactical slings.

Slowly stepping to the door, he tried to push it open, it was stuck, warped in the frame. "Sorry, but the door seems to be stuck."

* * *

><p>James sat at the table, hands wrapped around the paper cup filled with coffee. He had been alone in the featureless room for over four hours before someone had come in and placed the cup and a sandwich on the table across from him, then backed out of the room.<p>

They were treating him as if he was dangerous; he approved. They had him handcuffed to a bar that ran the length of the table, placed far enough from his edge that his hands were always visible, and they had been very careful when they had searched him. Yes he definitely approved.

The door opened and a man entered. James figured he stood almost six feet. He had dark brown hair and wore the same uniform as the men from earlier, minus the tactical vest and MP5.

He sat in the chair facing James and placed a file on the table. "We have confirmed you identity Mr. Bond," he said, opening the file. "Do you want to explain to me how you came to be in the middle of a group trying to destroy a NASA satellite?"

James sat silent.

"I talked to your friend Mr. Leiter," the man said turning a page. "Quite enlightening. It seems you are up to some of your old games." He laid out pictures of the men that had been a part of the assault, each of them lying on a metal table. "Did your men get a better offer?"

He didn't move.

They sat in silence for several minutes, till the man spoke again. "Well no matter." He placed another photo on top of the originals. "Maybe I need to ask Ms. Summers?" He tossed another picture on the table. "Or possibly her daughter, Jane isn't it?"

James had had enough. "If you talked to Leiter, then you know that I was following a lead about the possible sabotage of the satellite."

"Yes and he told me about the loss of your agent as well," he said sitting back in the hard metal chair. "What I want to know is why you were there? Why didn't you pass any information on to the CIA? Why did you think it was necessary to infiltrate the assembly building?"

"The man I was after… He was dangerous." James moved one of the pictures to the top of the stack. "I was familiar with his skills, it made me the logical choice. I didn't expect him to bring friends."

"Are you saying you were there to stop them?" the man asked.

"Yes."

A smile broke out on the man's face, and he reached out to shake Bond's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Bond. My name is Jason Copper, South West section chief of AI, Arcane Investigation. Think of us as the magical version of the FBI."

Jason leaned forward, pulled out a set of keys and unlocked his handcuffs. "Sorry about using your family like that, but I needed you to get angry. I'm an empath as well as a wizard. Normally with a person in this situation I can read their emotions before I enter, yours however were still hidden from me even till I put out the last picture. In that agitated state I can… feel… if someone is being deceptive."

James glowered at the man, he was a living lie detector.

"I've made sure that no one other than myself knows of their connection to you," he said. "Our community is close knit, and your name is listed as an emergency contact on Jane's employment contract. I'll give you my oath that only I will know this and I will not divulge it." James nodded.

"His name is Conrad," he said pointing to the picture James had pulled up. "Albert Conrad. We don't know who he works for but we do know that he was effective. A total of fifteen deaths have been attributed to him in the last four years. After the death of Seraphim, we suspected him."

"Until recently he always worked alone." He pulled the other pages out. "These we have only seen recently. They showed up a few months ago, and became local muscle for a man named Philip Pregeant. He was a smalltime dealer in illegal artifacts till about the time Conrad showed up on our radar."

He pulled out another photo and passed it to Bond. "That's him, suddenly he expanded… into slave trade."

James muttered a name under his breath. "Malfoy…"

"Excuse me?"

"The man supplying him… His name was Lucius Malfoy," James said quietly.

"Was?" asked Jason.

"Yes, was. He died at the beginning of summer… The terrorist attack at King's Cross in London."

"It seems we have much to speak about Mr. Bond."


	72. Chapter 73

**Someone complained that there were to many subplots going on... Sorry that is probably true but necessary for story progression. Things will be slowing down and several of them are almost played out and/or are converging into a single line... please just bear with it.**

**That being said... I OWN NOTHING!**

**READ! ENJOY! AND REVIEW! Because that is and will be my only form of payment for this! **

**Thanks to pazed for the edits!**

**Chapter 73**

James sat next to Patricia looking at Jason Copper across an old metal government desk. The entire room seemed to be a hold over from the seventies, the quintessential government office. Hard metal chairs, the 'cushions' just as hard as the chair, picture of the president on the wall (Bill Clinton), award plaques, a map of the state. Even the cool musty air that seemed to be a part of any government building.

Copper shuffled the papers on his desk, then looked up at Patricia. "Five men in the hospital, two with gunshot wounds, one with a broken arm and a ruptured testicle…" James winced a little, "one with a concussion and a stab wound to the lower…umm… back… from his own wand… and one shot with his own tazer." He looked at James. "Can I keep her? I need someone like her."

James smiled, as Copper turned his attention back to Patricia. "I'm just glad my men had body armor on, or I'd have lost them for more than just a week."

Pat looked stunned. "A week!" She looked at James, confusion showing.

"I told you they can do amazing things with their magic," he said with a small shrug.

Copper laughed, "They'd be back on the job tomorrow if it wasn't for Michelson, his is the most serious injury. And the only one that can't be fully healed."

She looked sheepish. "I didn't see the patch on his shoulder till it was too late..."

Copper waved his hand at her. "In a way I am glad it worked out that way. My teams needed a reminder not to take non-magicals lightly. The two of you infiltrated a highly defended base, and subdued or killed a total of thirteen magicals with only training and mundane weapons. I am going to be using this as an object lesson for some time."

He turned to James a more serious look on his face. "But, we have other things to discuss. Just what do you know about that satellite?"

James leaned forward and picked up his cup of coffee. "Not much, it's a high power communications array, usable for the Mars rover as well as embassy communications." He kept what he knew of it being used for spec ops missions to himself. "It also has a stop gap use as part of the GPS system in emergencies."

Copper nodded, "It is, but it also has other uses. I'm sure you saw the cameras." James's lip curled up just a touch. "Those were created for one specific task… Finding things hidden magically."

James looked at him oddly. "In the last few years we have been having trouble with several groups, from drug traffickers to organized crime gangs, using magic to obscure their movements. That has always been a problem but not nearly at the scope we have been experiencing in the last twenty years, and it is on the rise."

He stood and walked to the map of Florida on the wall and waved his wand at it, upon which it shimmered and became a word map. "This satellite was to complete a system that would catalogue magical abnormalities." He motioned to them to take a closer look. He pointed to an area in northern Scotland. The map was actually a composite satellite image, and where James knew Hogwarts and the town of Hogsmeade stood was a void. "Unplottable charm, along with a mix of others. We know that is where Hogwarts is. Depending on the type of camera, or system, different things show." He waved his wand, and the map darkened, spots of yellow showing. "Infrared, in the winter all the houses show up like beacons, and you can make out the shape of the castle… sort of."

He waved his wand again and the map returned to normal. "The same technology had been used on the satellites, but at a much increased power… along with a few things that can actually pierce some of the spells and wards."

He sat back behind his desk. "Someone doesn't want that system complete. Could it have been this Malfoy? Or someone he works for?"

James scoffed, "No, almost all of the British wizards we have had contact with wouldn't even know what a satellite is much less how to sabotage one. They are more backward than any group of magicals I have run across, the most high-tech thing they have is a steam engine."

It was Copper's turn to look confused. "But most of the ones we have been tracking seem to have been British…"

James nodded. "They probably were… Malfoy was a slaver. Only he didn't traffic in girls, but in young men. They would have been recent graduates, most from non-magical families. He was part of what is known as the purebloods, someone that can trace _both_ of their parentages back generations in their world. We have uncovered many atrocities done in the name of blood purity."

James took a deep breath. "We know that years worth of male first generations have been sold off… the females were … taken advantage of… trapped in their hidden world with no support and no place to go…" James glanced at Patricia, her face was as still as stone, but he could feel the tension and anger almost radiating off her.

"We are changing that," he said as an assurance as much to himself as her.

Copper looked at the woman and back. "How many?"

James kept his voice even. "It varied, sometimes less than ten, one year as many as twenty. Most only graduated with OWLS, Ordinary Wizarding Levels, at the age of fifteen. Very few would have their NEWTS, Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests; Hogwarts is the only school that offers those. As far as I know they would still need to be taught how to do some of the things you are talking about."

Copper nodded. "Do you know the reason why we avoid contact?"

"Part of it is the IWC," said James, "and Albus Dumbledore unless we are mistaken."

"Why don't you tell me what you know about both of those subjects?"

* * *

><p>Harry walked down the hall of the hotel. He was glad that they had scheduled a few days for him to visit his grandfather. Since starting at Hogwarts he hadn't gotten to visit with him as often as he would have liked so he treasured each chance to be with him. The next five days here at the Nurburgring were such a time.<p>

He tossed his bag on the bed, and drew in a deep breath, catching the scent of perfume in the air. He pivoted, drawing his pistol in one smooth movement, turning to face the only other door in the room. A fair skinned woman stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a fluffy white towel, drying her dark brown hair.

His arm dropped to his side. "Damn it Anya!"

Anya Amasova peeked up from under the towel. "Harold?"

"You know damn well it's Harry! Ms. XXX!"

She clucked her tongue at him. "I _hate_ that designation!" She stomped her foot.

"Then use my name!"

"But I like Harold so much better," she purred, moving behind him and wrapping her arms around his neck, all the time avoiding the arm still holding his pistol. "Do you greet all your old friends with a gun? Or do you just have something against me?" She breathed in his ear.

"Since when have you been a friend? And just what do you want me to hold against you?" He smirked shaking her arms loose, turning to face her. "Besides you're old enough-"

"You finish that sentence and I shall be most cross with you." Her face was bunched up in mock anger, but her eyes glittered with mirth."

Harry holstered his pistol, and smiled up at her. "Why are you here Anya?"

"Can't I just drop by to visit?" she asked coyly.

"You? Never. I've never known you not to be 'on the job'."

Her face fell, and she plopped onto the bed. "You have now… I've been retired."

He sat next to her. "What happened?"

She turned her head away. "They said I'm too old… Too out of touch… not what they needed… They said I… I wasn't…"

He turned her toward him and she collapsed on his shoulder crying.

"They said I wasn't beautiful… I wasn't capable any more... they tried to have me eliminated…"

"So you came to see Dad," Harry said softly.

"I thought he'd be here, with you."

"He meant to be, but there was a change of plans." Harry glanced around the room. "Look, you go wash your face and get dressed. We'll go get some dinner." He tilted her head up. "You are one of the most beautiful women I have ever known, trust me." He smiled softly and kissed her cheek.

She nodded and went into the bathroom. Harry grabbed his bag and opened it grabbing the Nikes and flipping the soles off, and started scanning the room and phone as quickly as possible. When he finished he placed the phone to his ear and dialed. A few moments later a voice clicked on the line, "Universal Expor-"

Harry broke in, "Day code, Philips, rate, equipment. Operator code: g56ds3 Call sign: Strider."

The voice on the other side said, "Verifying… Switch to scrambler in 3…2… 1… Mark." He flipped the switch on the sole over the phone.

"M Imitate. Message begins." Harry took a breath. "Agent encountered, Designation: Star. Request all current information. Claims no current affiliation. Instructions. Current situation: Surveillance."

The voice waited for him to finish then answered. "Understood. Will contact." He hung up.

A few moments later Anya stepped out of the bathroom, straightening her fashionable little black dress. She sat back on the bed and put on her high heeled shoes. "You had long enough to contact London, yes?"

He smiled as he adjusted his jacket over his side arm. "Have you decided what you'd like to have for dinner?" He offered her his arm.


	73. Chapter 74

**Hey All! Just a quick note before the story continues. I'm headed off on vacation so the next chapter will be later than normal (4 weeks instead of 2). Once again I am being held to the no computer rule by my family...boo hiss!**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter, and as always I own Nothing!**

**READ! ENJOY! AND REVIEW! As it is the only form of payment we poor slobs ever hope to get!**

**Chapter 74**

Harry dropped into the chair across the desk from his adopted grandfather, his jacket draped over the chair beside him. He loosened his tie as he spoke. "Anything from Dad?"

Marc Ange nodded. "I spoke with him while you ate. He has finished, and will be joining us shortly. You have a package as well, I suspect it is from M." He pointed at the thick manila envelope on the edge of the desk. "I trust you had a pleasant time at dinner?"

Harry snorted. "As much as any meal with that woman has ever been. I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her."

Marc Ange lit his pipe. "Wise… I wish I had arrived earlier, I and your father would have rather you had not been left alone with her."

Harry shook his head. "I know who and what she is."

"She and your father have…history…" Marc Ange said.

"I know… Dad killed her lover on a mission."

"And now that woman is in the room of the man that killed him… With his son…"

Harry chuckled, "And she is welcome to it… I have no intention of staying in that room. I'll sleep on the couch in the lobby first."

"I had another room arranged for you," he said handing Harry the key.

"Thanks Poppy."

"Your luggage?" he asked.

"Section E will pick it up from the front desk in the morning. Replacements are already on their way."

Marc Ange stood, and walked to the door. "I'll leave you with your package."

Harry sighed quietly as the door shut, and picked up the envelope and placed it on his grandfather's desk. After opening his pen knife he made an incision just below the clasp on the envelope flap and inserted the knife blade moving it to the right, severing the security line to the explosive device inside and thus disarming it. He then opened the envelope.

Pulling the paper out he laid each page out on the desk, ten pages in all along with a small package. He placed his hand on each page in turn saying, "For Queen and Country." Writing or pictures faded into existence on each page as he did.

He smiled. 'To think my birth father and his friends had figured this little bit of spell work out when they were still in school.' He looked at each page in turn, frowning more at each one.

* * *

><p>Hermione knocked on the door, it was time to get some answers.<p>

The door cracked open and the face of Narcissa Black greeted her. "Hermione? How may I help you?"

"Good evening, I'd like to speak with Lord Black please."

Narcissa was a little startled by her formality, they had been with and around the Grangers for several weeks now and truth told she had become quite fond of the young woman and her family. Giving her a puzzled expression she answered as protocol dictated. "One moment please and I will ask if my Lord is receiving visitors."

The door clicked closed and Hermione waited patiently till it opened once more. "Lord Black will see you Ms. Granger." She motioned for her to enter the small suite. "He is in the living room."

Hermione walked past the small breakfast area and kitchen, and into the well appointed living room. Sirius stood stiffly as she entered and gestured for her to sit on the couch, sitting himself as she did. "Welcome, Ms. Granger. The House Black extends its hospitality to you."

"Thank you, Lord Black." She straightened her skirt.

Sirius smiled, as Cissy offered refreshments. "Ok, Hermione. Enough, what is with…" he waved his hand at her "all of this?"

She looked at him with a glare that would have done McGonagall proud. "I have questions Lord Black, and I would like answers."

He glanced at Cissy, who shrugged, then back at Hermione. "What questions do you have my dear?"

She concentrated on his face as she spoke. "You are Harry Potter's Godfather? Correct?"

A puzzled look crossed his face. "You know that I am."

"And you are and have been romantically involved with the Head of the DMLE, Madam Amelia Bones?" she asked.

Once again he glanced nervously at Cissy. "I-I am. How did-?"

"I saw her leave this morning when I was out on my run," she said in answer.

"I'm not sure-" he began.

"_IF,_" she stepped on his reply, "she had been the head of a non-magical police force, and you were married, I _might _believe that you were brought here to recover from your 'accidental injury'," she said making little air quotes. "But seeing that this is a non-magical facility, I doubt that you were sent here by the ministry." She eyed him expectantly. "Especially when you add the fact that your injury has not been reported in the _Prophet_."

He didn't answer, so she continued to lay out her case. "One of the other facts that I know is that most of the patients here are recuperating from injuries gained in military service. So I find myself questioning why you are receiving treatment here?"

He stuttered over his answer, "S-St. Mungo's, the new hospital, isn't completed… and the h-healer said the injury… they said that that non-magical rehabilitation was necessary, one of them recommended this place."

"And you just happened to end up here? Across the hall from my parents?" She gave him a skeptical look. "Then there is all the time you are spending with my father." Her gaze moved to Narcissa, "the both of you." She looked back at Sirius. "Not long after he questions me about all kinds of things... I want to know what is going on! My family is involved!" she said her voice becoming strained.

Sirius looked stunned. "W-Why not ask your father?" he asked.

She snorted, "He couldn't tell me no matter what he wanted. He could never get clearance to tell someone my age! I know something is going on and somehow it all centers around Harry!"

Sirius stood, and walked toward the window. "And what makes you think I could tell you, if there was something going on?"

"You are a Lord! I could swear an oath!"

He visibly winced and turned to her. "I won't accept it!" Hermione shrank away from his yell as he spun away. "You have no idea what you are asking!"

Cissy knelt next to the now sobbing girl. "An oath is a most serious matter, Hermione. If you ever violated it… it would cost you your magic at the very least, and most likely your life. It can't be entered into lightly."

Hermione nodded. "B-but I need to know…Harry… my father… Uncle David… They're all involved… I want to help," she said weakly.

Sirius turned back to her and knelt on the other side. "You're still young… you don't-"

"I DO!" she cried, "Don't you understand?… Everyone important to me is putting themselves at risk to help…"

Sirius rubbed his face. Cissy spoke softly, "Make her your Vassal."

Sirius was dumbfounded. "B-but…"

Cissy shrugged. "It is the best choice… Once she is in service of House Black she could know and our house magic would keep her from speaking out of turn, there would be no chance of her violating an oath."

Sirius stood again, and paced the room. "Dan would need to know… Give permission…"

Cissy shook her head and spoke again. "No, as a magical with no house standing and no other magical family she is within her rights to approach one of the Most Ancient and Most Noble families for protection."

Sirius stuttered to a stop. "Protection…"

"It will bring her into our House's influence till she comes of age, then she will become a vassal of House Black," she said.

Sirius dropped into the chair, and the room was silent other than the whirring of the air-conditioning for a very long time. Finally he spoke. "I want you to think about this… You are asking me to go behind your parents' backs with this… Is that what you want to do?"

She chewed on her bottom lip, "I- I-…" She shook her head.

He smiled, patting her shoulder. "Talk to your parents… I'm thinking that it would not be a bad idea for you to be under the protection of House Black, but that is a decision for you and your parents."

She nodded slowly, and stood. "Thank you for your time Lord Black." She sniffed and wiped her eyes. Narcissa showed her to the door.

"Do you think she'll talk to them?" Cissy asked when she returned.

"Not tonight… But soon," he said. "I should have expected this. That girl is just too smart for her own good. She reminds me of you, in some ways."

Cissy laughed as she sat. "When did you learn to be a parent? You did so well with Drake, and now Hermione. You didn't learn that from my dearly departed aunt."

Sirius's face took on a downward cast. "Charles Potter… He was an amazing father… I try and do what he would have. He was more of a father to me than any Black ever was."

Cissy smiled at him softly. "You are doing his memory proud."


	74. Chapter 75

**So, another chapter…. **

**Someone suggested that I list my stories under crossovers. I'm not going to do that, mainly because to many people will then skip over a story because they a) Haven't read the crossover, therefore believe they won't know what's going on. b) Feel like they have missed something or c) not like the crossover story, and because of that they will not give my story a chance.**

**As for the short chapters…. I put out my stories every other week. If they were longer I would take more time. I am not a prolific writer and am working on problems in my writing at the same time. This is the schedule and length goal I felt I could make on a bi-weekly basis.**

**I love hearing theories on what people think will happen, and hearing from people in general. If you have questions please feel free to ask, I will answer them if they do not relate to future plot.**

**Once again, I own nothing! **

**READ! ENJOY! REVIEW! **

**And remember reviews are the only payment we receive as writers on this site.**

**Thanks and on with the show!**

**Chapter 75**

It had taken James almost twelve hours to reach the hotel, he had been on the move from the moment he heard from M that the apparently ex soviet spy had made contact with his son. The fact that the woman may have brought god knew what to his doorstep chilled James more with each passing mile.

However when he arrived new orders had awaited him, orders to join a team put in place as surveillance and as a protection detail. He had argued with M about this till she had made it plain what the plans were.

They were to keep a low profile and be support in case of an attack, till arrangements could be made for the woman to be debriefed and they had confirmation about her removal from service. While hating the danger this left his son in he understood the reasoning. They could not trust her… but they could not pass up the intelligence she may be able to provide.

He fumed as he sat with Marc Ange in the room serving as command and control for the operation. M had said it would be another day until the arrangements could be made, and he had agreed to give her that but not a moment more.

So he had watched for the last twenty plus hours. He had watched as Harry had avoided as much contact as possible with the spy, spending hour after hour on the track in any car he could borrow or rent. Only seeing her in the morning and when they had a meal together in the evening. Always choosing a time to meet her when others were present and eating in restaurants that were popular.

Each moment had grated on him. Even though he was doing just as he was taught, this was not a situation he wanted for his son. She was his enemy. She held a grudge against him not Harry and if she so much as touched…

He looked at his watch. M had two hours left till her time was up.

* * *

><p>Tonks walked down the gangplank and into Heathrow, smiling slightly as she looked over the queues forming at the customs counters. It was amazing to her how much her world view had changed in the scant few months since she had stepped out of the wizarding world and into the outside.<p>

From the day she walked into that small room at Whitehall to today, she had seen and done things she had never thought possible. She has seen the great man-made spires of New York, seen the night lit up like day on the Strip of Las Vegas, seen Los Angeles and the Island Paradise of Hawaii, seen magic unlike any other in Tokyo… her lips turned down…

She had killed…

Suddenly it was her standing at the small window handing over her passport to be stamped along with her declaration slip. When the man handed it back it came with an extra envelope; she took both in hand and made her way to the exit.

She made her self comfortable in the back of the cab before she began to open the envelope. On the back she found a paper tag, one of the four types she and Harry had learned during their time in Japan. This particular one would destroy the contents of the container if a person did not know the way of opening. She removed a small case from her purse and flipped it open to reveal a Japanese writing brush and ink stone. Spitting on the stone to wet it she swirled the brush then waited for the cab to come to a halt at a light before making five quick strokes disarming the trap. She then replaced the case and opened the flap.

Inside she found a slip of paper with an address, with the number 451 below, then a list of numbers and letters, R45-L15-R34-L12… A combination. The question was to what?

She leaned forward, changed the destination with the cab driver, then sat back and thought, 'Harry, what are you up to?'

* * *

><p>James grumbled as he stood. M's time was up! It was time to get his son. Whatever arrangements she needed to have complete had better be done because his son's part in this was over!<p>

He walked to the door and flung it open and ended up face to face with someone beginning to knock, Amelia Bones. She was dressed in a conservative grey pant suit, and had her hair up in a stylish yet business like manner.

"I trust the room meets with your approval sir?" she asked after lowering her hand.

"It does, though the view leaves something to be desired," he replied.

"It could be worse, it could be raining." She smiled. "It's good to see you James."

"You as well, come in." He motioned.

She shook her head. "We don't have time. The arrangements that have been made are on a time table and if we miss our start time the rest will be thrown off as well. Where is the person to be moved?"

He stepped out into the hall. "Harry's original room, follow me."

They walked to the end of the hall and when he indicated that they had arrived she nodded and leaned down placing a small straw under the door. Connecting a green vial to the end with a bulb she squeezed four times then nodded and withdrew the straw. James knocked, and they heard feet moving inside.

They stood outside till Amelia tapped his shoulder; he then went to work on the door. In short order he had it checked and unlocked. When they entered the room was silent. James called out quietly, "Anya? It's James."

He moved farther into the room, feeling his way more than seeing it in the darkened room. When he found her it was with a weapon drawn, her back against the wall and the desk in front of her as a barricade. She was as stiff, as if she had been made of stone.

He straightened and called back over his shoulder, "Clear."

Amelia stepped inside. "She'll be like that for just a short time. We need to be quick."

James removed her pistol and searched her as Amelia prepared for the next step. Placing another vial at her lips she poured the contents into the woman's mouth and tilted her head so it moved to the back of her throat. A few moments later Anya's body gave a jerk and she swallowed involuntarily, her eyes focused momentarily growing wide then she collapsed in a boneless heap at their feet.

"Ok I give, what the hell was that stuff?"

"Potion of Petrifaction, the magical diffuser is something Q and Croaker came up with, this was Draught of Living Death. She'll be out till she is given the antidote at her destination," she said as she flipped her wand and levitated the body to the bed.

"So what is the plan?" he asked.

"First we strip her, everything goes, be sure to search everywhere. Then…" She pulled a roll of duct tape, a track suit and an… old boot?... out of her bag. "We put this on her. Hurry, we don't have much time."

In less than five minutes they had her changed, hands and legs bound and the boot taped firmly to her foot. Amelia looked down at her watch. "Almost time… Cut me a few of her hairs."

James looked confused but did as he was told. As he handed them to her the body gave a shudder and seemed to spin on the spot and get sucked down an invisible drain in the center of her stomach.

"What? Where?" He looked at his companion confused.

"Portkey," she said after pulling out yet another vial, and dropping the hairs in. "We know they are coming for her, so she needs to die." She tipped up the vial and drained it, then dropped to her knees as the pain gripped her. James watched stunned as her skin lifted and moved as if rats moved underneath. In just a few seconds 'Anya' stood before him, gathered the discarded clothing and went into the bathroom to change.

Less than forty minutes later James slid out of the seat of his Lotus and watched as the Audi burned. He had been surprised at the elaborate ruse in as little time as they had. It had even included a body matching Anya's description.

He had chased the transformed Amelia Bones through part of the hotel, places where they both would be seen and caught on surveillance, then continued the pursuit out onto the streets. He waited a few seconds more then slid back into his car and drove away.

* * *

><p>Tonks walked into the Post Office that had been her destination; finding box 451 she dialed the combination and retrieved a thick package. She stepped over to one of the tables to disarm and open it.<p>

Inside she found a set of keys, a letter addressed to her and another package sealed with the heir seal of House Black. She opened her letter.

_-T_

_Welcome home._

_I had planned to do this differently, but with all that has happened this summer time is short. Enclosed you will find a set of keys. These are to a safe house that I and my father have arranged for your use, as well as a vehicle. _

_This safe house is completely off the books and is under the name of N. Black. You will find additional documentation for that identity there.._

_This box is a secure drop and we will use it as necessary. _

_As for the package, please deliver it to Sirius personally before we leave for Hogwarts. _

_-H_

She picked up the keys and dropped them in her purse along with the package. Tonks then took the letter from Harry over to the water fountain and soaked it, then dropping the now ruined rice paper into a bin on the way out.


	75. Chapter 76

**Once again, I own nothing! and a big Thank you to pazed for her work editing!**

**READ! ENJOY! REVIEW! **

**Chapter 76**

Sirius was emotionally exhausted. Explaining to the Grangers the politics of the wizarding world had been harder than he initially expected. In the end however they had seen the wisdom of accepting the protection of a wizarding house, and that House Black was preferable to House Potter at the moment because House Black had more living members to strengthen its magic.

It was decided as well that the entire family would be taken under the wing of House Black as vassals. This was a little twist that had been discovered by Cissy's research, and while it had not been done in several generations (and never by the Blacks), there was a precedent for it and it provided at least a minor amount of protection and status to the family of a muggleborn. Besides Sirius thought it was a great way to thumb his nose at the blood purists, and his dearly departed mother as well.

The ceremony went as expected right up to a point. Hermione's parents were easily accepted, after adapting the wording slightly for Daniel to be sure the oath would not interfere with his oath to the Crown.

It was when Hermione's oath was undertaken that things went a little off kilter. Nothing happened. No flash of light confirming the oath and no form of contrary reaction either, there seemed to be no reaction of any type.

That had sent the elder Blacks onto their heels, they had never seen nor heard of such a thing. They were at a loss for an explanation, but wanted to figure out what was happening as much as the Grangers, so at the moment Cissy was in the library in Onyx manor poring over everything she could find about vassals and the oaths of family. If that failed… he was not sure what they would do next.

A knock roused him from his thoughts, and he moved to answer it. Opening the door he found a strikingly beautiful woman outside. Blond hair fell in soft curls that just brushed her shoulders, her blue eyes seemed to sparkle in the changing light.

"Mr…" She looked down at her clipboard. "Black?" she asked looking back up at him. He nodded. "Excellent! My name is Bobbie, Bobbie Martin. I am with the hospital, I help evaluate patient care. May I speak with you for a few moments?"

Again he nodded. "Please, come in. May I offer you some tea?" he asked as they entered and moved to the living area.

"No, thank you," she said.

He felt a hand grasp his wrist and the next thing he knew he was crashing to the floor face first, all of her weight adding to his own forcing the air out of him as they hit, his right arm being wrenched behind him along with his left leg. Before he could breathe again the weight was gone and something had tied his arm to the length of his ankle.

"So this is all it takes beat you Sirius?" asked a voice. "A pretty face and a crap story?"

He craned his neck to see the person behind him, who was no longer blond but had bright pink hair. "Nympha…"

She stomped lightly on his shoulder. "No! Alex… Call me Alex." He watched as her hair changed again, as she adopted the look she would use at Hogwarts. It was mostly her own, but with a tweak here and there to hide some of the Black heritage. Her face was a little rounder, cheekbones a little less pronounced, though still quite lovely. Then back to Bobbie.

She sat on the chair so he could still see her. "Well what do we have here." She sat back in the chair and steepled her fingers, a smirk across her face that would have made her mother proud. "The mighty Lord Black laid low by little old me."

He grumbled, "Untie me!"

"What's in it for me?" she asked.

"Nym..." She kicked his shoulder again. "Fine… Alex…" He struggled for a moment then his head hung when he realized she had taken his wand from the holster on his wrist as well. "What do you want?"

She crossed her legs thinking for a moment, her left leg swinging as she pondered. "I want your word that you and Harry will help convince mother that I keep the name Alexandra… I like it."

"Fine, whatever," he said. "But no one hears about this!"

She nodded, then hesitated a moment. "I reserve the right to tell Harry, he needs some form of ammunition against his Godfather." She grinned at him.

"Hmph… agreed. Now let me loose!" She leaned down and cut loose the zip-tie.

He sat up and rubbed his wrist. "Harry told me about your new job… for what it is worth I'm sorry."

She waved his concern away. "It has given me a new view on things. One that in a way I am thankful for. I have seen and learned more in the last few months…" She shook her head. "But speaking of that new job..." She reached into her bag and handed him a package. "Harry asked me to deliver this… off the books. House business from what I have gathered."

Sirius nodded, as he looked it over. He slipped onto the couch and broke the seal, it flashed a light blue. He pulled out a sheaf of paper and began to read. After turning a few pages he started to laugh. "Harry, that's ruddy brilliant!"

Tonks looked at him confused. "Well?" she asked.

He looked up from the last page. "Hmm?" He shrugged. "It was something he wanted to run by me and ask my opinion on. It will take a little looking into to see if it is possible.' He smiled. "If it works it will be one hell of a prank."

She groaned at his Marauder nature coming to the front. "All this for a bloody PRANK?" she almost yelled. "I thought this was something serious!"

Suddenly he understood her outrage, but couldn't help himself, he laughed. "No… No… My dear Ny…" She glared harder at him. "Ahmm… Right, sorry, Alex. It is something important, a possible… business arrangement that may prove profitable… But until I have a chance to look it over completely I am not certain that it can be done… It just has a chance to also be a brilliant prank."

He shoved the papers back into the envelope, folded it and placed it in his pocket. "Anyway, do you have a message you wish to pass along to your mother? I will be leaving here in a few days, and will see her soon after."

Tonks was slightly aggravated by not being told what was in the envelope, but nodded anyway.

* * *

><p>Anya sat up with a start, her head snapping around taking in the room, and took stock of her body. Her wrists were a little sore and stiff, her clothes had been changed but she seemed uninjured. The room was not very large, perhaps three or so meters square and looked much like any other high security cell.<p>

Except that this one seemed to be formed out of white plastic, it was smooth and seemingly one piece. The only openings she could find were the six holes about three meters off the floor, and what appeared to be a fifteen centimeter glass panel that was flush with the wall about head height. There was no sign of a door anywhere. Even the toilet seemed to be molded of the same material.

She sighed, and stood. Wherever she was it was instantly apparent she was here for a while. At the foot of her bed was a small table molded from the wall, it was close enough she could sit on the bed and use it as a desk. On top of it were a few books and magazines, and what looked to be a letter.

She walked over and opened it.

Anya,

I hope that you find your accommodations acceptable for the moment. I know that it is not to normal standards, but it is secure.

Your debriefing will commence shortly.

James

She snorted. Well she had asked for this, she moved back to the bed after picking up one of the books and wondered what they were waiting for.

* * *

><p>Harry sighed with relief as he stepped into the house. The summer had been much more stressful than they had expected. Hopefully that would all be behind him and he could relax some before he went back to Hogwarts. Hell even Hogwarts would have been restful compared to this summer.<p>

"May! I'm home!" he shouted walking through the kitchen and dropping his bag next to the island.

"Harry?" The woman walked in from one of the front rooms. "Welcome home. I wasn't expecting you for a couple of days."

"Something came up at Dad's office, and Poppy and I thought we'd come home with him. We don't get to spend enough time together since I started school," he said.

She nodded. "Will Mr. Draco be staying with you here?"

"I believe so," he said, going to the refrigerator and pouring a glass of milk. "He'll be in later however. So please plan on food for three, he'll be here till I go back to school unless something comes up unexpectedly."

"Food for four," she corrected. "Ms. Lovegood will be arriving home soon. In fact any time I believe."

He could not believe he had forgotten about the petite blond and the fact that she had been living in their home the entire summer. "Any problems with her staying here?"

"She had a few issues the first week or so alone," May said sitting at the kitchen table. "She insisted on learning to cook… Evidently her mother never got the chance to teach her, the poor girl… I had to replace the toaster, evidently they are not made to toast six loaves of bread continually. When I came in that morning every piece of bread in the house had been toasted, and she had gone down to the corner store and bought even more. It was stacked everywhere and she had gone though all the butter and jam as well."

He laughed in spite of himself. "That's my Luna."

From the door behind him he heard a reply. "Yep!"

He spun to look at her, a smile crossing his lips. What he saw wasn't what he expected… Not in the least. "Luna?"


	76. Chapter 77

**Again, I own NOTHING! **

**A big Thank You to pazed for the editing.**

**And as always, READ! ENJOY! REVIEW!**

**Because that is the only form of payment received for the stories I write.**

**Chapter 77**

Two pops disturbed the tranquil morning, heralding the arrival of three people. While all three were magical, for one of them this was her first experience with this particular form of wizarding transport.

"Ugg…" was all she managed to articulate as Sirius grabbed hold of her more securely to keep her from toppling over.

He chuckled softly, as the young woman glared up at him. "I tried to warn you."

She gathered her feet under her, "Your explanation… left something to be desired. That was worse than you led me to believe."

He shrugged. "It was about what I was told before I was first side-along apparated. You get used to it."

She harrumphed at him then asked, "So where are we?"

Sirius bowed with a flourish. "Welcome to the Black ancestral home, Onyx Manor." Behind him, in what Hermione had thought was a wooded area, a large set of iron gates faded into view along with a wide gravel drive. In the distance was a well manicured garden and a large stone manor.

Cissy slapped him on his shoulder. "Stop." She adjusted her jacket, and turned her attention to Hermione. "We brought you here to test a theory. As you know something odd happened during your oath to be a vassal of House Black. I have a theory, but I need your help to try something both here and one other place."

Hermione nodded. "What do you need me to do?'

"Just place your hand on the medallion with the Black Crest, state your name and request entry," she said directing her to the center of the gate.

She stepped forward and placed her hand in the center of the medallion and said, "Hermione Granger, may I enter?" There was a moment of silence, then a loud clunk and the gate opened. Her head spun toward the pair that had accompanied her; both of them had a stunned expression on their face.

Sirius stepped onto the grounds, looking closely at the gates as he passed, then turned to Cissy. "You go inside and check things out, I'll take Hermione to… the other place."

He placed his hand on her shoulder and asked, "Are you ready?"

She looked at him puzzled. "Where are we going?"

"I'll explain everything soon I promise." She sighed deeply but nodded, and grasped his sleeve tightly, and they disappeared with a pop.

* * *

><p>"Luna?" He couldn't believe his eyes… she looked… "Wow, you look great Luna!"<p>

She smiled widely, and gave a little spin so he could get a good look at her. She was wearing a pair of well faded jeans with a light weight emerald green sleeveless blouse and tennis shoes, but most surprising was her hair, she had cut it to just above her shoulders and had it pulled back away from her face with a dark colored headband.

"Your mother took me shopping!" she said, running over to give him a hug.

"M-my mother?" He looked at May, who was smiling at him.

"Yes," said Luna happily. "She dropped by not long after you left! Along with your sister! They took me sightseeing too!"

"They did?" He was dumbfounded, nobody had said Terry had been here… Did his father even know?

"M-hmmm, they were so nice to me," she said, while staying wrapped in his arms. "Whenever I wasn't in class I was with them… I met your niece and nephews as well!"

She backed away from him a little, and looked up at him her eyes twinkling. "It was fun! And they taught me sooooo much! Did you know my boobies are going to get bigger?" His eyes grew wide and he immediately found a spot on the wall very interesting.

"LUNA!" said May quickly. "Remember what we talked about?" Luna turned to look at her, confusion on her face. "What did I teach you about appropriate conversation topics? Harry is a boy and young ladies don't speak about…"

Luna turned back to Harry. "…don't speak about such things in combined company, it is impolite," she continued, if a little stiffly. Almost as if she didn't quite believe it. She looked up at him, a small pout on her face. "I'm sorry Harry."

He smiled and hugged her again. "It's fine Luna," then in a whisper only she could hear, "Without things like that occasionally you wouldn't be my Luna." She smiled into his chest and squeezed a little tighter.

Letting go, he asked, "How did your classes go?"

She picked up his glass of milk and finished it for him. "Great! Too bad I won't have a computer at school… I'm sure it would be helpful to have… as a _study_ aid, of course." She got a far away look in her eye. "It would be most useful." She shook her head. "Terry bought me a portable typewriter, to help me practice my typing! I'll need plenty of paper and ribbon too!"

"Tell you what Luna, why don't we go out tomorrow and get whatever you think you'll need. My grandfather will need to work some tomorrow and he'll be able to do it here while we are gone and Dad is at the office. We'll have lunch, and maybe a movie? I'll let you pick?" He said picking up his bag and heading toward the doorway to the hall. "Sound good?"

"Perfect…" she said softly.

* * *

><p>Hermione and Sirius arrived with a 'POP', though this time Hermione was steadier on her feet. "See told you you'd get used to it!" Sirius said, she just glared at him.<p>

"So where are we now?" she asked, more than a little put out by being dragged around and not told a _bloody damn_ thing about why. "I only want to explain this once, so please just try to enter here just like you did at Onyx Manor. If this works I'll take us back to the hospital and I will explain everything.

She shook her head in disgust but walked to the gate. She couldn't see a manor, but she could see the path leading into a grove of trees in the distance. She placed her hand on the medallion at the center of the gate and said "Hermione Granger, may I enter?" There was a short pause then the gate gave a loud 'CLANK' and opened slowly.

He stepped forward, as if to enter, but seemed to walk into an invisible wall. He looked down at her standing just inside the gate. "I guess that confirms it. Come on Hermione let's get back, once Cissy returns we need to talk with your parents."

She stared at him for a moment then back at the open gate, the crest was different from the one on the gate of Onyx Manor. "Whose home is this?"

"It's known as Crochenwaith," he said with a quiet voice. "We need to talk to your parents… Come on." The gate closed with a 'clunk' right after they disappeared, and silence returned to the street.

* * *

><p>Anya sniffed, the smell of roast beef and fresh bread filled the air around her. Lowering her book she saw a platter of food and a drink sitting on the desk. She hadn't been asleep and hadn't heard or seen anyone; this left her with a conundrum. How did it get here?<p>

She sat up and slid to the edge. It smelled wonderful, roasted potatoes and vegetables, fresh bread and the meat succulent and moist. "Apparently they do not mean to starve me."

"That would be such a waste," said a voice from behind her.

She spun in place, the knife from the place setting held in a loose fighting grip. Her eyes narrowed, when she saw the face that had appeared via a view screen hidden behind what she now knew was two-way glass behind the small sink. "James," she growled.

"Anya," he replied. "I thought we had an agreement about Harry."

"And I kept it!" She stood and moved to get a better view of the screen. "I kept him out of my report! I was looking for you!"

"So Harry said, and just what do you want from me?"

She smiled. "Your help… I need to disappear…" She sat heavily on the bed. "They dismissed me… They tried to kill me. I need your help to disappear." She looked up at the screen, tears streaking down her face.

His face stayed neutral. "And what are you going to offer my people for their help?"

She sniffed, and her face hardened. "I won't compromise any of our agents…"

James's voice broke in. "You need to give us something, Anya."

"_BUT_… I will give you some of the people that give the orders," she said breaking into a small smirk. "As long as _YOU_ give me a promise."

"And what would that be?" he asked.

"I found out something a few weeks before my… 'retirement'," she spat, "someone in command sent my Miklos after you. They knew he and I were involved and arranged for our time together in the area of your mission then used his death by your hand to set me against you."

James did a masterful job of hiding his surprise. "Why?" he asked.

"I do not know," she replied, shrugging. "I was quietly looking into who gave the orders before my last mission. Evidently I was not quiet enough. I was tracking my target when I was suddenly recalled and before I knew what was going on I had been dismissed and my former agency was trying to kill me."

She stood and walked toward the sink. "Someone in command didn't want me to find out who they were and why they had ordered Miklos's death. I want you to find them… then _we_ will kill them."

* * *

><p>It had taken some fast talking to keep Hermione from her answers till Narcissa had returned. When she had they gathered in the sitting area, Sirius waved his wand and then said, "I put up a Muffliato just as a precaution, anyone listening in will only hear a buzzing sound, though if our suspicions are correct, and our little experiment lends credence to it, it was not necessary. Cissy, was everything in order?"<p>

She nodded. "Yes Sirius, I checked the wards and entry journal in Onyx Manor. She accessed the grounds as if she were already a vassal of house Black."

The Grangers looked confused. "…But that couldn't happen till after the oath," said Hermione.

"Normally yes," replied Cissy. She turned to Daniel. "I need you to think about anything you may have said to Harry after the attack at King's Cross. What did you tell him?"

Daniel's brow furrowed. "I-I don't know… I-… I told him to protect her…"

"And he agreed?" she asked.

He nodded, and she smiled. "She became a ward at that point… A ward of House Potter and, because he is heir, House Black."

"A ward?" Hermione asked. "How is that different than an oath of vassalage?"

Cissy chuckled, "Well, at this point Harry could be considered your guardian… magically speaking. He is in charge of your magical life until such time as you reach majority."

"WHAT?" exploded from the Grangers as a group.

"Your guardian," explained Sirius. "He is responsible for you now in the magical world."

Daniel exploded from his seat, "I just meant for him to stay with her till her mother or I could be with her!"

Sirius shrugged, "But magic saw it differently. You all had been confronted by a magical threat, and when you asked him for a boon his magic must have felt that he meant to protect her indefinitely… She now has some of the best protection possible in our world; magically she is part of the Potter family. Even more closely bound than a vassal. While you, as a vassal, could find and request entry to a protected Black property, unless it was occupied by a family member you could not enter. Hermione, on the other hand is seen magically as family of both the Potters and Blacks and could enter freely."

Cissy continued, "If you wished he would also be responsible for her financially, her education, and any supplies, clothing etc. that she is in need of."

"You're kidding?" Emma said. "What other decisions could he make for _our_ daughter?" anger evident in her voice.

Sirius decided to put a stop to the explanations before they got any more ideas. "None that he would do, unless she and you requested… Think of it like the agreement you signed with Hogwarts when she started, but now instead of the headmaster acting _in loco parentis_ it will be Harry."

Daniel didn't look happy about this turn of events but Emma spoke first. "What will it mean when she reaches majority?"

"She could ask to be released if she wished, just as you can ask to be released from your oath, and any family secrets she was privy to would remain protected. Although she would lose the House protection outside any involvement of those secrets."

Daniel grumbled a moment later, "I think Harry and I need to have another talk!"


	77. Chapter 78

**Sorry for being a week late but some things came up... Lets just say it was a long few days. I've known for a while that I needed to do a summery chapter, and this week lent it self well to that. It may help..**

**I'll be updating in two weeks as normal.**

**For those interested, JIM BUTCHER's New book SKIN GAME is out and it is excellent. Go pick up a copy!**

**Once again I own nothing! **

**READ! ENJOY! REVIEW! It's the only form of payment any writer on this site expects or receives.**

**Chapter 78**

The ice tinkled in James's glass as he swallowed the last of the scotch it contained. It was a good single malt, not his preferred Speyside Cardhu, with its sweet, smooth, silky, uncomplicated flavor. She seemed to prefer the Dalmore 18 and its more intense taste and after tones of nutmeg and cinnamon. Not a bad choice in his mind, in an after dinner role, but on its own or before a meal he found it to be too strong.

He could feel M's gaze on him, she most likely had questions about the mission that had originally brought him in contact with Anya, as well as their relationship afterward. He poured himself another drink and replaced the decanter on the credenza, and turned leaning back against the dark English oak.

He sipped his drink again before beginning. "I was laying low in Austria after finishing an assignment, when her lover, Sergei Miklos Borzov, and his team were dispatched to prevent my exfiltration. He was the commander of a SPENAZA team that was in the area training at the time… Although if her new information is to be believed, they were detailed there to place them directly in my path. I had never considered that they had been chosen for any other reason than their proximity at the time."

He sipped his drink again. "If Anya's information is correct, they were chosen to give her a reason to come after me."

M didn't like where this was going, this was an additional iron in the fire that they did not have time to deal with. "This was after the mess in Bratislava?" James nodded. "If I remember correctly, that was nothing more than a courier mission… with complications."

Again he nodded. "It was aborted before I reached Warsaw, but my itinerary had been set and I had no choice other than follow through with the cover ID's trip as planned… and that ID somehow fell apart in Bratislava on my way back from Warsaw." He moved to one of the new leather chairs; she had finally redecorated and James was not a fan of the new contemporary look… especially the uncomfortable chairs. "It took me three days to get out of the city and across the border into Austria."

"Did you ever find out how the cover ID was blown?" she asked, while jotting down a note.

He responded in the negative. "No, and I don't know if anything came of the follow up. I was told to… expedite my return and was immediately dispatched on a mission… the Stromberg thing… Where I ran up against Anya for the first time."

M tossed a folder across the desk so it landed in front of Bond. "The investigation was inconclusive, we found no holes in the ID and none in your travel itinerary. It was concluded that you were most likely recognized by someone during your travels."

James nodded, that was always a possibility, one that all agents accepted. Theirs was an exclusive group and it was always a possibility that someone could recognize him... hell he had even run into J.W. Pepper several times, god than man loved to travel… His mind was pulled back to the present when M asked him a question. "What were you doing during the three days you were in Austria?"

"Developing local contacts," he said with a smile. "I did a little skiing as well."

She tossed another folder at him. "I took the liberty of checking on that 'local contact' you were endeavoring to… cultivate. She's gone. I am having someone from Station P looking into it. I want anything you can remember added to the file before the end of the day."

He picked up the folder and glanced through it, it was sparse but that was not unusual for an undeveloped asset. Liliya Grishin. He mentally went over what he remembered about her, which wasn't much. Blond… his thoughts drifted at that point remembering the time he had spent with her in the small ski cabin high in the mountains. She was very… athletic, as he recalled. "I'll drop by Special Branch, and sit down with the identification system and put together a composite picture."

She nodded. "Good, see that you do. We need to find out what is going on and if her accusations have any merit." She changed topics at that point. "Are Harry and Tonks set to return to Hogwarts?"

James smiled. "They need to go to the alley this week; Harry and his group are meeting there Thursday. Tonks, with Mr. Gold's help, is securing a new wand and her supplies Wednesday. Amelia and Croaker have already added her to the transfer list as one of the students sponsored by the Potter Foundation, along with six others ranging from years three to five."

He sipped his Scotch. "Luna stayed at our house for the summer and, I could barely believe this, seems to be very comfortable now in the outside world. She has adapted very quickly, and has excelled at computer programming, from the results I saw from her summer. Special Branch is keeping tabs on her development… Q considers her talented and inventive."

"The Grangers are on their way back as we speak, and their home will have the wards completed before nightfall. The survivor of the assault on their home didn't have any useful information, he was just a kid, one talked into a sport they called muggle-hunting. They had decided to 'remove the blight' on the wizarding world's honor, the person who 'cheated' her way to the number one spot at Hogwarts, Hermione. The one that was shot, Carrow, had heard his father and a friend talking about it and they decided to take action."

"Has anyone come around looking for them?" M asked.

"Their parents have been to the DMLE, and they have been listed as missing. Fortunately they have been known to travel on the continent. Amelia has issued a watch order for them."

M made another note, before she spoke. "I have received several reports about the Longbottom boy, he is making steady progress in his training. Harry provided a solid foundation. The trainer he chose off the list we provided was impressed with his conditioning. With Harry's help he should be able to at least practice till winter break."

James agreed. "Moody will be taking Pat or myself up to work with Harry and Tonks. We will be working to add magic into their combat training. It will be the basis for the new training for the Unspeakables, and in time hopefully the Auror program."

M stood and walked over to refill her drink, "We are making progress, but what of Dumbledore?"

"We think he may have called off any remaining attacks after the initial failures, though we are keeping alert. Amelia is preparing an increased presence in the alley this week and at the train station; Dan and David are going to qualify with their handguns tomorrow, and will go along with Sirius and the kids."

She smiled at that. "You expecting trouble?"

"No," he replied, "but I see no reason to court Mr. Murphy, so best be prepared."

"Any news on the paintings from Mr. Gold?" she asked.

"At the moment they are active about six to eight hours a day but still stutter occasionally, he said they will most likely be finished before Christmas. Harry will get to meet them then, at the moment they are giving us any information they have and are learning about what has happened since their death."

"Have they been able to clarify anything?" she asked.

"Some, most of it had to do with the time just before Dumbledore began his little domination play of their lives and their suspicions surrounding the time before he took direct control. They have given us some signs to look for to find other possibly dominated couples, as well as some things to look for that had disappeared from their possessions… Evidently some things were missing from the Potter inventory, they think that while they were dominated Dumbledore may have had them brought to him. Unfortunately the only thing we have located at the moment was the family's pensieve, it was in Dumbledore's office."

"Pensieve?" she questioned.

"A Magical can apparently extract a copy of a memory from their mind. When they do they can place it in a pensieve and review the memory in the minutest detail. The Potter one is evidently an heirloom created by one of their ancestors. Most pensieves can hold six to ten memories; this one can hold double that and it has a couple of additional features. If more than one person has a memory of an event they can be run simultaneously and combined into a single composite. It can also run two related or unrelated memories at once allowing for simultaneous viewing without mixing the images."

She smiled at that thought. "Interesting, where is this device now?"

"Harry wanted me to lend it to Special Branch. Q has it and they are brainstorming uses, including checking for altered memories.

M was pleased with that, it may prove a useful tool. "Very well. Has there been any luck duplicating the map?"

James sat back. "Yes, final testing will begin when school is back in session. If it works as expected they will begin work on one for the alley and if that one is successful we will begin work on outfitting other high priority areas like the parliament building."

She nodded, then asked, "And the details of what happened over Harry's summer?"

He knew she had read the reports that Harry had filed, she was asking if he had further information, things he had found out directly from Harry that may have been… overlooked… in the official report or anything he had heard from his contacts. "Personally I'm proud of the work he did in Japan."

She smiled as he continued. "He gave a great accounting of himself, and Tonks stepped up as well. They will be a formidable team. She has orders to sit with psych this week and discuss some of the actions she needs to take; they were her first kills, but I think her training in the service had prepared her somewhat. Felix loves the girl, and had nothing but praises for her ability to spot his people, and her evasion skills are exceptional. When we add her ability to the mix, she will be a remarkable asset during infiltration as well."

He set his drink on her desk. "What concerns me most is what happened on Harry's visit to the Elder. We agreed what goes on there would never be put in a report," she nodded her agreement, "and to limit who knows about what happened during the cleansing… At this time it is limited to your predecessor, you, Mr. Gold, myself, and Harry."

Again she nodded, as he continued. "This summer was to be the time they checked that the ritual had been completely successful…" He slowed for a moment, and gathered his thoughts. "Those things he described… the ones in the briefing… They destroyed three of them and that… thing was what was cleansed from Harry."

M inhaled sharply. "Is he in any danger?"

James shook his head slightly. "The Elder told Harry there was still a connection… it was incredibly weak in comparison to the way it was originally… but it is still there, he doesn't believe it is strong enough to be an issue, but he wanted Harry to be aware of it just in case. He is also certain that that madman had created others, he is unsure how many. I spoke with Mr. Gold about possibly coming up with some form of plan about looking into Riddle's past; we may be able to locate some of them. He believes that Riddle would have used a magically significant number and seeing as we have four destroyed; the Diary, Harry destroyed that one in the chamber, the Crown… or diadem, it was found during the search of Hogwarts, the Locket… It was found in Sirius's summer home after he had it gone through by Mr. Gold's people before he put it up for sale, and the Cup, it was gathered from the LeStrange vault after her marriage was dissolved. After those four, he suspects the final number was to be seven… I'll let you know if we make any progress."

She nodded once more. "Anything else you can think of James let me know… Now," she gave him a dismissive gesture. "Go spend some time with Harry. You have the rest of the week off."

James grinned as he replied, "Ma'am," as he stood and made his way to the door.


	78. Chapter 79

**And another chapter!**

**Again I own NOTHING!**

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**Chapter 79**

Harry flopped into the seat of the train; as was normal for him he was one of the first aboard. Luna had stopped at the magazine stand in the main terminal and had somehow managed to get him to empty his wallet on the stack of magazines and paperback books she was now piling by category on the floor. He smiled at the slender blond. It was an odd assortment: fashion, architecture, science… he shook his head and turned his attention toward the window.

Things had gone by faster during the week than he had realized and before he knew it, it was time to head back to Hogwarts. The day out with Luna had proved to be a blessing. As planned they did go and buy paper and ribbons for the manual typewriter she had been given, then strolled through the district looking at anything that struck their fancy. It had been such a relaxing day. He broke out in a smile remembering the way Luna had looked when she discovered her favorite new treat, the ice cream float.

Monday he 'accompanied' his dad into the city and to his office. They had dropped Luna off on the way to visit her father (who had recently returned); she was going to meet up with Harry in the Alley to gather her things as well on Thursday. While James had spent the day checking out Anya's story, Harry had been in Special Branch with Q. He was formally introduced to both Moody and Croaker, and they had then gone over Harry's new Trunk.

It was quite the piece of work, it looked identical to his original and even had the extra compartments hidden on the outside that gave him access to an extra pistol and clips. Moody explained how to access each of the three magical versions on the inside. The first was a standard school trunk inside with enough room for all of his supplies and clothing. By activating a set of hidden runes and closing the lid the next version became available. This one held a small armory including an HK-MP5/40 and silencer (which unlike the A2 was chambered in a round recommended to James by the Americans for use against magical shields, the .40 S&W, a round actually designed to strike a balance between being able to penetrate all but the most powerful magical's shield charm with one shot and having a higher shot capacity in the clip); a sniper rifle chambered in .338 Lapua, along with assorted other bits and bobs that may come in handy. The last compartment included medical supplies and emergency equipment.

After that they had met with his father and Pat and discussed the training he and Tonks were going to do, as well as where. Mr. Gold's people had already helped to move several items to the castle through the outdoor entrance of the Chamber of Secrets, and were in the process of arranging the training area. It would not be complete till the second week of school and a schedule would be worked out after they had received their time tables.

The funny thing was he and his father had spent the entire next day digging through what Special Branch had put in his trunk and reorganizing, so things that would be more useful would be easily accessible, including preparing his tactical vest. Even if it was work they had fun doing it together.

Thursday had started off well but within minutes of meeting up with the Grangers things had become… uncomfortable. He had barely said hello before he felt the glares of the elder Grangers land on him. They steered the group toward the book store and just before they entered the two men asked to speak with Harry for a moment.

He grimaced, that had been hard for him. In the end, though, it was a situation that while undesirable, did offer a large amount of protection and he agreed that was all it was. He would not exercise any of his rights unless it was an unavoidable emergency.

The door of the compartment slid open and he glanced up to see the Patils enter. He stood and greeted them. "Namaste, Padma, Parvati. You look well. It's good to see you both. I hope you had a good summer."

Luna looked up from her magazines after grabbing one off two different piles, and jumped up hugging each girl in turn. "Hi!" she said, "Something for you to read." She handed each a magazine that was suited to their intrests.

They looked confused for a moment, each glancing down at what they had been handed then at each of their compartment mates. Parvati spoke, "It is good to see you as well… you too Luna… Harry? How are you able to always tell us apart?"

Padma looked a little disappointed. "Yes, I wondered about that as well… we thought that we would have you for sure this time… We even wore each other's clothes and jewelry!"

He smiled and indicated Padma's hand. "You have more pronounced calluses developed from writing." He smiled. "Aaand a few other things… but I think I'll keep those to myself."

Padma nodded, then looked at Luna. She just shrugged, "You're Padma, she's Parvati…" They both smiled at that.

The others slowly arrived and they settled in for the trip north, each receiving at least one magazine or book chosen from the stacks by Luna.

Their travel hours passed filled with laughter and stories, then as dusk fell something in the air changed. It felt as if something was pressing down on them, the train jerked and the screech of its brakes sounded. Harry's face turned automatically toward the window. He was wondering why they were slowing, and began to stand. The lights onboard began to flicker, and he watched in fascination as ice began to form on the outside of the window in long frosty fingers.

Even before he had reached the door of the compartment the temperature inside had dropped significantly. He turned to the group as he opened the compartment door, only Neville had stood. "Stay here!" he said, as the door snapped shut. Pulling a leather bankers wallet out of his pocket he withdrew one of the barrier seals and slapped it on the door over the lock and the walls of the compartment flashed a soft blue.

He looked up and down the corridor, cursing, his right hand hovering behind his back just above the butt of his pistol. "Damn it! Where did she sit?" He made his choice, turning toward the front of the train and moved off. By the time he reached the end of the car he was panting and his breath was visible. Despite the chill he felt as if he was burning up.

Harry slid the door of the car open and stepped into the connection area, and placed another seal on the door. After it gave the soft blue glow confirming its activation he opened the next door and stepped inside.

His knees wobbled as a wave of nausea hit him. Shaking his head he pushed on down the corridor. He had just reached the half way mark when the door on the far end slid open quietly and something out of a nightmare floated through the door.

The top of the hooded figure just barely brushed the roof of the corridor, and its black cloak seemed to billow in some unfelt wind. He stumbled, his sight blurring, he rubbed at his eyes quickly trying to force them into focus. His head was now pounding and he thought he heard someone calling his name.

He tried to draw his pistol but it dropped from his numb fingers as he pulled it from its holster and he stumbled again dropping to his knees. The voices then took on a life of their own, '…my pet… a jolt ran through his arm '…me see the boy!'… Pain burned across his left arm and legs. '…..Are you prepared kit?' A crash of light flashed behind his eyes, and fire rolled through his body. '…ro Blofeld' He felt a heavy impact to his right.

A skeletal hand reaching out to him from within the billowing cloak, an empty swirling maw that was framed within the hood, he stared up into the void unseeing as he listened to a woman's voice screaming, '…not HARRY!', a flash of green filled what remained of his vision as the darkness claimed him.

* * *

><p>Harry jerked awake, scrambling back till his back was against something solid. His eyes scanned the room, landing almost immediately on Tonks's face. "What happened?"<p>

A voice from his right answered with a soft soothing tone, "A dementor."

He blinked, he had seen a briefing on them… They were magical guards of the wizard prison, they lived by sucking away all of a person's best feelings leaving them to be tormented by their worst memories.

Tonks handed him a hunk of chocolate. "Eat this… It will help."

He took it, took a bite, and almost immediately felt more at ease. Not really better, per se, but more relaxed, like the anxiety the attack had caused melted away as the chocolate melted in his mouth.

The soothing voice spoke again, "Alexandra and I found you in the next car… the dementor was…." The voice trailed off.

Alex sighed, and began to speak. "It was leaning over you… but for some reason when it tried to touch you… There was a flare of white light then… something… something else… a shadow…" She shook her head. "I don't know… something seemed to flash between you and it fled… We pulled you in here."

He nodded slowly, he felt drained… exhausted. He turned to look at the person sitting on his right, a girl sitting with her back against the wall, her knees drawn up tight against her chest and her arms wrapped around them.

"Thank you… I'm sorry I don't know your name…" he said.

"Sue Li. My name is Sue Li," she said softly.

He rose shakily; Alex caught him and helped him sit on the bench. He felt her press his pistol into his back behind him and he took it and dropped it in a pocket inside of his robes.

"Well thank you for your help Miss Li… and you as well Ms…?"

She smiled at him, "Alexandria Harper, Alex." She offered her hand which he took.

Nice to meet you Ms. Harper, Ms. Li. I'm Harry Potter-Bond." He offered his hand to the other girl.

She looked at it a moment like it might bite her, but then slowly moved to take it. She was still shivering. "I-I'm sorry, I'm not usually like this… those things…"

He nodded in understanding. "No worries… at least you didn't pass out."

She looked up from behind her knees at him, tears streaked down her face. "I-I… I wasn't as close to them… W-What… What did you see?"

He sighed, she quickly spoke again. "You… You don't have to tell me… I'm sorry."

He shook his head, "No it's alright… Some of it… I'm not sure about…" He took a deep breath and began again. "I saw… Quirrell… Professor Quirrel, first." He glanced at Tonks, then back to Sue Li. "I was there when he was killed… then… an accident when I was younger… I was almost killed… then a woman's voice and a flash of green… I- I'm not sure what that was," he said leaving out the details of what he had actually seen.

She went back to staring at her knees. "I saw… My parents… They were killed… before I was sent here to live with my grandfather… I hate this place..."

Tonks almost felt compelled to say something. "Come on Sue Li… Hogwarts can't be all that bad!"

She snorted, as she looked up at her. "It's useless! I hate using a wand!" She looked at Harry, "Where did you learn…" She held up the wallet he had his sealing tags in.

Harry stared wide-eyed at the bankers wallet. "Uhhh…" He had nothing, he wasn't prepared for anyone learning what those were. So he went with something simple. "I have a sensei… For Akido… He saw my wand in my bag… He's teaching me. He thought it could be useful."

She nodded, handing the wallet back. "I see you are still a novice." She looked at Tonks. "I learned the same seal when I was seven." She looked back at Harry. "I can help you learn a few others if you wish."

Harry smiled, "That would be great!" His face fell. "Ummm, I'd better go drop the barrier around the next car!" He stood, still a little shaky.

Sue Li grabbed his hand. "There is no need, when you lost consciousness, that seal would fail."

"I'd still better go check on my friends." He moved to the door and paused. Turning he grabbed both girls by the hand. "You saved me from embarrassment, by not leaving me in the hall, my new heroes need to protect me from the prying questions they are bound to ask." He winked at Tonks, this would make it easier to introduce her to the group.


	79. Chapter 80

**As Always I Own Nothing! **

**and a big thanks to my editor the mighty pazed!**

**Please allow me one small rant: Of late I have seen something in others writing that just seem to be driving me insane, the use of learnt. Learnt, as far as I know, not a word the word is learned. Ok, end of soapbox.**

**READ! ENJOY! and REVIEW! Remember that your review is the only form of payment any of the writers here expect!**

**Chapter 80**

Harry slipped down the stairs that led from the boys' dorm in the darkness, hidden under his invisibility cloak and slowed as he approached the common room. Peering in carefully he saw 'Alex' leaning against the wall just inside the passage that led out to the entrance hidden behind the guardian portrait, partially hidden in the deep shadows.

He crept across the room and around Tonks, not a difficult feat given the passage was wide enough to walk two abreast. Smiling slightly he said, "Someone might think you were waiting here for some form of romantic rendezvous, or are you a voyeur?"

With a muffled "Eeep…" she spun to find just Harry's head floating in the passage in front of her. "Harry? What? How?"

He flung the rest of the cloak open, and gave her a wide grin. Her eyes widened as she asked, "Harry? Is that… Is that an your invisibility cloak? I meant to ask about it… Where did you find something so rare? "

He nodded. "It was my father's… Evidently it has been in my family for generations."

Tonks looked at him confused. "…but that's not…"

"Possible," he said in reply. "So Madam Bones informed me…" His voice trailed off. "We can talk about this more when we get to where we need to go. If we're friendly we can both fit under it," he said as he slid his wand into a groove hidden up in the darkest shadows near the top of the portrait frame. With a click the frame opened.

By the time they reached their destination Tonks was having to fight a blush; if it hadn't been for her metamorphmagus ability she would have been as red as a beet! As it was she felt as if she was running a fever, and the way Harry had his arm around her waist and rubbed against her when they walked… it was very distracting. Thankfully she already knew her way around the castle, and knew where they were when Harry led her through the door and into the second floor… girls' bathroom? "Harry why are we going into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom?" she asked with a whisper.

"Moaning Myrtle?" he asked quietly, leading the way to the sinks.

"A ghost that usually hides here, she's…. emotional. Most of the girls tend to avoid this bathroom," she replied.

"Hmmm. Convenient that," he said as he removed the cloak, then pulled a tiny tape recorder from his pocket and pushed play near a small decoration of a snake wrapped around a shield. The floor gave a shudder as it seemed to ripple and reform into a set of stairs leading down. "After you my dear."

Her head moved between him and the staircase a couple of times, then she started the trek down. She heard the sound of scraping stone after a while from behind her, and looking back she watched as the floor resealed itself. She glanced at Harry questioningly. He smiled and gestured for her to keep going.

"We found this place during my first year," Harry explained as they continued down, "but could not access it till an incident took place here last year. It's known as the Chamber of Secrets."

Tonks stumbled, as she came to a quick stop. "_The Chamber of Secrets?_ How? What? Why?"

Harry was smiling when she turned to face him, but his face fell when he looked at the wall not far below where they were standing. "Let's go on down, we're almost at the bottom… You should have a recorder like mine in your kit, the tape will allow you to enter this staircase. When Mr. Gold's people got access they redid the warding. It used to be in something called parseltongue, now the activation is in one of the older dialects of goblin. If a professor is trying to gain access the lighting down here will flicker to red in three pulses, only the Headmistress, deputy, and the heads of house know how to access it, and it takes two of them to activate the locking system."

She nodded, as she stepped off the stairs onto the floor below. "But how…. When Hogwarts closed…. All the kids were sent home for Christmas break your first year." She turned to look at him. "They got access then."

He joined her and guided her toward the large vault like door, held in place by bolts that looked like snakes. "Not exactly… we didn't get access till last year…" He showed her another slot and slid his wand into it. "These slots were placed on any doorway that has some form of protection. Once you know where they are you will have access to just about any place in the castle. That includes the Headmistress's office, the staff's private quarters, and any of the houses."

He stopped speaking as the sound of stone grating on stone began and the vault like door opened, then began speaking again as they stepped inside. "We can also open the hidden passages leading out of the castle. It would take two professors to do that as well, but no one can open them from the outside. That will immediately set off the wards, even at the far end of the tunnels or the tunnels themselves. So we will need to make arrangements if one, or both of us need to leave the castle."

"Aye, that you will," said a gruff voice. Tonks's pistol seemed to almost materialize in her hand as she spun to face it. "Good reflexes lass, but you won't be needing the gun. Not tonight at any rate."

Harry was pleasantly surprised, his uncle had said that they planned to make a few changes to the Chamber, but the removal of snake motifs from the main chamber was not something he had figured was a part of the plan, and the changes they had made to the statue at the far end made it seem much less ominous.

"Alex, I'd like you to meet," he gestured to the man, "ex-senior Auror Alastor Moody, and MI6's own Patricia Fields one of my father's best, and last but never least, my father James Bond."

Tonks looked at each person in turn, she had never heard of Ms. Fields, but the other two… Alastor Moody was a legend among the Aurors, he had the highest capture record (well more of a kill most of the time) of anyone during the war. And then there was James… evidently a legend in his own right given the stories from Tiger and Felix. When she had asked Harry about some of them all he had done was smile, and given that the mess they had gone through in Japan rated as an _adventure_ in Harry's books, well it made her wonder what his father's life had been like.

Tonks quickly shook off her star struck stupor. "Nice to meet you all."

Alastor spoke first. "You'll be cursing this day when you begin your training, Lass."

Pat shook her head. "As ominous as that sounds… Nice to meet you as well Alex."

James nodded. "Alex, I hope you have learned the summer's lessons well?"

Alex smiled. "Felix sent a message for you. Next time you're in the States and don't let him know _BEFORE_ you come he is not doing a damn thing to pull your ass out of whatever mess you're in… and now you owe him two cases of the good stuff."

James chuckled, and Pat was looking at him stunned. "She's met Felix already?"

Tonks couldn't resist. "Yep, finished his surveillance evasion course too, took over the third spot on his list of fastest times."

Her eyes flickered back to the apparently thirteen year old girl. "Th-third…. I barely rank in the top ten… Did he say who ranked ahead of you?"

Tonks's smile widened and she started to say something, but James cut her off. "You made the appointments with psych?" He knew she had, but wanted to see her reactions for himself.

The smile lessened slightly, and he could make out a forced quality in what remained. "I did, sir. Thank you."

James turned to Pat. "I'll get you the action reports for the kids' summer, they did themselves proud," he said with no small amount of pride. "Sorry Alastor but I can't do the same with you. Just know there is much more to this pair than meets the eye."

Moody grunted as he took a swig from his flask. "At any rate," James continued, "we wanted to come up and meet with you about your training once you had your schedule, and give you a tour of the new Chamber."

Pat took over. "This is also being equipped as a retreat position in case of an emergency within the castle. We have stocked the alcoves with emergency rations, equipment and medical supplies; there is enough to tend to the entirety of the school for up to ten days if the need ever arises." She led them to the first alcove where things were stacked on shelving units closed over with wire mesh doors. "They have been put under a stasis… magically… opening the cage will dispel it."

She led them down toward the water. "The water is fairly clean, and can be swum in. Drinking water is gathered from the same source, and purified through filters, extras are stored nearby in the locker." They walked around the edge and toward the statue. "Bathrooms are there as well including showers. These last alcoves are set up as a firing range on this side, good for up to 200 yards (your friends lengthened it, helpful blokes); and the other one has been widened and turned into a kill house. Weapons are kept in a cage in the basilisk's lair, access restricted to the five of us." She pushed on a section of protruding rock which slid away. Behind it was a palm scanner and keypad.

"Use your code designation for your password." She punched in a code and placed her hand on the scanner; the mouth of the statue crunched and began to open. "The tunnel at the far end can be opened from the outside, but it takes a key. A key only available from Mr. Gold and it must be attuned to the user. At the moment only three exist, mine, Moody's, and Mr. Gold's. It can also be used as an emergency exit."

Moody gruffed, "All yer toys are fine things, but we will be focusing on yer magical training as well."

He clumped his way toward the firing range. "Yer friends also warded the area so the two ranges can be used for magical training." His wand appeared in his hand, and he fired a spell toward a wall with a cry of, "_**Confringo Maxima**_". It impacted the wall and dissipated in a rolling mass of flames leaving no damage behind. "Ye won't be casting anything more than that… well indoors anyway."

They spent the next couple of hours devising their schedule and familiarizing themselves with the equipment.

Just before they left Harry's father pulled him aside. "Harry, I'm going to be out of contact for a while." He looked pained at saying this. "I'm going on a mission… with Anya."

Harry's blood froze. "You can't be serious!" he hissed. "You can't…"

James's eyes hardened, suddenly the man in front of him was no longer James Bond, father, it was the man he had only seen in brief glimpses growing up, James Bond, 007, of Her Majesty's Secret Service. The man that had survived over twenty years in the most unforgiving of professions. "You aren't telling me anything I don't know, but this is too important. This reaches deeper than you know, something is wrong here and the information we can gather is too important to ignore."

His face softened. "I have no illusions about this mission, and who Anya is." He gathered Harry in a hug. "Just like this is something you need to do, it is something I need to do."

As they ended the hug, Harry nodded. "Fine, but if you're not back by Christmas I'm coming to find you." The look he gave James left little room for argument.

"Hmmm… You'll do what M says," James said, his look hard again.

Harry looked down. "Fine…" He just wouldn't talk to M first if it came to that.


	80. Chapter 81

**Ok, I stand corrected on the word learnt. It still sounds wrong to me so I'll never use it.**

**And yes you are correct this chapter is a little late, my family reunion/vacation took an unexpected turn that left me unable to write as I intended.**

**As always, I own nothing! Just playing with someone else's toys.**

**READ! ENJOY! REVIEW! It is the only form of payment ever expected!**

**Chapter 81**

Albus drummed his fingers on the table, over the last few months he had needed to rework many of his plans. "Damn that Potter!" he groused. Most of the summer had been wasted due to the boy's actions at Kings Cross, as he wished to remain 'dead' at the moment. Within a day he had lost both agents that could move freely within the wizarding world. Remus had somehow been killed before he could even injure that damn Sirius Black, and Malfoy's death at the hands of the brat had been… unexpected. Not to mention the loss of Malfoy's gold! Obtaining funds had proved more difficult than he had expected, due to his desire to remain unfound but now was the time to bide his time and allow his plans for the future to come to fruition. "Severus, how is your work on Ms. LeStrange progressing?"

"I believe it goes well Master. The damage incurred due to your wish for her to be able to go after the Longbottom boy has almost been healed, a few more days at most." It had been a long difficult task to heal her, as nearly all of the muscles in her extremities had torn themselves apart due to the activity that was forced upon them, as they had been atrophied due to the many years of imprisonment. Potions had made it so she could be used in the assault, but the damage had been an unavoidable consequence.

"Very well, I shall have need of her soon, she must be ready." The dark haired man nodded. "Have you learned any more about the man Potter calls his father? You failed in your attempt to remove him, and after our… _discussion _about that failure you assured me that you would learn more about the man. Who is this Bond?"

Snape flinched internally, he could still feel the effects of his master's displeasure during that… discussion, and he knew that another such discussion was to follow his answer. "I have made several attempts to gain information from others within the building where he works, but to no avail. He seems to be an enigma even within his own company; the only person that seemed to know anything about him was from the payroll department. Even then it was only as a name, and employment number. His home is heavily warded as well… I suspect Madam Bones may have had something to do with that as my contact within the DMLE informs me that she keeps the boy's file in her office under lock and key, with orders that any report with any mention of him or his family be brought to her attention immediately."

His master's face darkened. "And that is all you have found? I am _disappointed_ with you, my friend." A wand was suddenly in the old man's hand and pointed at him. "I believe it is time for me to test out the new wand I obtained. It is not my preferred wand, but… It is a better fit for me than the one I obtained upon my escape. _Crucio!_" Snape fell at his feet writhing in pain, the old man sneered as he twisted the wand, Snape's back arched in pain. "No, it is nothing like my preferred wand… I must add its retrieval to my list of things to accomplish along with the death of the bitch that removed it from me."

After what felt like a lifetime to Snape the pain retreated, and Albus spoke as he stood. "Gather several of your old crowd, I believe ten or so… make it fifteen, in case some of them don't survive what I'm going to request of you… You are to begin training them in concert with Ms. LeStrange. I wish them to be prepared for combat no later than… let's say mid spring… Make sure that you have laid in a supply of what ever potions you deem useful by then as well." He turned and made his way to the door. "Be glad I still have use for you Severus, you will not fail me in this endeavor… will you?"

Snape, having managed to catch his breath, answered. "No, Master! Thank you, Master!"

* * *

><p>Harry was pleasantly surprised. Everyone in their group was able to pick up their exercise routine where they left off at the end of the previous year. Su Li had little problem with it as well, but he figured that would be the case when she arrived wearing non-magical running clothes.<p>

It had been funny to see Tonks though, acting as if it was very hard for her. She huffed and complained almost the entire way, it had had an interesting effect as well. Whenever someone would start to drop off the pace she would catch up quickly and begin to pass them, evidently none of them wanted to come in after the complaining new girl.

Hermione though had been by far the largest surprise, she matched him stride for stride the entire distance. From the moment he started stretching to the last steps of cool down she had stayed at his side. He figured her uncle and father had something to do with that. It was only after they had finished that she asked him when she could begin training in martial arts, and when he said he would only begin if and when her parents had agreed, she quickly produced a letter from her parents allowing her request.

He had to admire the girl's drive, she had decided on what she had wanted to do and pursued her goal with dogged determination. He soon agreed, telling her she could begin joining Neville for training as soon as a room had been arranged. Little did he know a barrage of owls had left soon after the others had heard him accept her request.

That had led him to the office of the Headmistress. He had requested a moment of her time during breakfast but she had been on her way to renegotiate several contracts dealing with supplies for Hogwarts, but she had offered to meet with him after the evening meal.

As he walked he mused over the number of changes that had accompanied the new year. They arrived on Wednesday, the first, on the Express, just as they would have normally. The first change he noticed came during the Headmistress's address. As she outlined the new school policies and banned objects, each head of house rose and handed a stack of papers to each person at the head of the tables indicating that they should take the topmost and pass them down.

"…list is available in your student handbook. A copy has also been hung in each common room on the new announcement boards, which I suggest you check on a routine basis as any announcements or new information shall be posted there, as well as next to the Maintenance Office."

"I also wish to inform you that the Potions classroom has been moved to the room at the end of the second corridor. It was decided that this room provided better light and improved ventilation. Please make a note of the change as the map in the student guide in now incorrect."

"Finally, as you see from the pages you were given, the Hogwarts school song now has a single score. Please follow along as Professor Flitwick acquaints us with it."

Who knew the little man had such an impressive singing voice?

The next two days had been a surprise as well. The next morning breakfast was served in the common room and a house meeting was held, where each person introduced themselves and the new rules and changes were discussed more in depth, as well as their new schedules handed out. He had smiled when he saw that gone were the days where you only had class with your house! Now classes were arranged on student merit, one advanced, two standard, one remedial.

Advanced classes would be afforded the time to debate, improve, or experiment as time and the professor's discretion allowed (perhaps even have additional free time if they wished). Standard classes stayed the same. While those in remedial classes had extra classes assigned to them to keep them on schedule for the year. If a person was ever in more than two remedial classes at a time they had the choice to either hire a private tutor, at their or their family's expense, or move to a lower grade level.

But that was for the future, at the moment all classes were standard. After the first quarter's grades were tabulated classes would be shuffled, and new schedules would be handed out based on this system.

The next revelation was when they went to the Great Hall for lunch. Gone were the long tables, in their place were a multitude of smaller round tables seating four to six, or longer rectangular ones seating up to ten. Service was now buffet style with food set out along the walls to the left and right of the entry, so they were encouraged to mingle between the houses!

During the afternoon and evening each head of house along with their new associate head, another professor chosen to be the representative of the house if the head was not available, met with each student in turn to discuss their future plans and any issues a student may wish to be addressed in private.

That evening they were also told that until Saturday noon, they were in a general amnesty period for any objects on the banned list. If any such object were then found the new disciplinary procedures would at that point come into effect. He had seen the twin red heads pale at that statement and had to chuckle at it. He didn't think it was so much the punishment side of it that bothered them, it was the fact that for each infraction they had to contact their parents, by floo, themselves and inform them what they had done. If they had three infractions they would be suspended for a week, and sent home.

He walked into the office where soft music greeted him. "Good evening Headmistress," he said as he approached the desk.

"And good evening to you as well Mr. Potter-Bond. I hope you are finding the further changes to the school not to be too jarring?" she asked, as she finished whatever paperwork she was dealing with.

"I imagine I find them much less objectionable than some," he said with a small grin. "Well other than the moving of Astronomy, I think everyone was pleasantly surprised that they don't have a class starting at midnight once a week. Even if some of them have no idea how they can study the stars when they can't see them."

"Hmmm… Well I'm sure they will be pleasantly surprised when they see the projections." She smiled at him, as she sat back and stretched. "How was you summer Harry?"

"Productive," he replied sitting. I traveled a little, we went to Hawaii. Then I spent some time with my Grandfather. Met up with an old friend, made a few new ones. I trust yours was pleasant as well?"

She nodded. "You asked to see me?"

"I did, I'd like to use one of the empty classrooms as a martial arts training room. Neville has been taking lessons, and he and I would like to have a place to spar and train." He placed Hermione's note on her desk. "Hermione has asked me to teach her as well, I told her I would only if her parents agreed. It kind of surprised me that they have."

Minerva looked at the paper and nodded, taking out her wand and a piece of paper. A quick spell later she had a duplicate which she magically sent to the student files. "While I have a cursory knowledge of what you are talking about, I would feel better if I was there for the first few sessions, and a faculty advisor is found and present during these sessions. I would also request that you obtain such a letter from Madam Longbottom as well, then please approach Madam Pomfrey, speak with her about what forms of injuries may occur."

Harry nodded. "Agreed. I will contact Sirius and have him deliver everything we might need."

She nodded. "I think the classroom on the third floor at the end of corridor three will suit you. When do you plan to begin?"

"Soon, Neville needs the distraction to keep him from thinking about the LeStrange woman. Not to mention the fact that the Ministry has seen fit to station those damn Dementors around the school doesn't help. Did you know one of those… things made it on the train?"

She growled, "_I am aware_, so is Madam Bones. She was seething when I spoke with her, not only were they never to board the train, the train was never to be stopped! It, and the platform, had been thoroughly searched prior to boarding and each entrance watched closely. She has suspended all of the Aurors on the Dementor detail and is investigating the situation. I am just glad that the wards of the castle are back at full strength… as well as having had the security tightened."

Harry fully agreed with her, finding a way to deal with the Dementors had moved to the front of his to do list. Tonks had told him about a charm that could protect someone, or run them off. He was planning on learning it as quickly as he could, but he also wanted to look into a more _permanent_ solution.

Just before curfew he returned to his dorm, having penned a quick note to Sirius telling him to bring the equipment his father had for them to use.

* * *

><p>James looked out the window of the plane, as it sped through the night. He ran their cover story over again, Mark and Madeline Prior formerly of Manchester, now living outside Barcelona. Owners of a small cleaning business, on vacation.<p>

Basic as it went. The real Mark and Madeline were on vacation, visiting their remaining family in Manchester, and planning on staying for the next two weeks. Meanwhile their business calls were being monitored in case anyone called asking about them.

This job was as off books as they could make it. Other than a select few no one knew the details, James just hoped all these precautions proved unnecessary.

Anya stretched next to him. "Relax Mark, we're on vacation," she said, as she settled in, curling up into the seat, wrapping herself around his arm and resting her head on his shoulder.

"I know Maddie," he replied. "I just don't like running off and leaving things like this." He internally fought the need to shake her loose.

"You're just being silly," she said with a small chuckle. "Everything will be fine."

He returned his gaze to the darkness outside, trying to push the uneasy feeling away.

He failed.

* * *

><p>Snape entered the room as quietly as he could, only to hear a small voice come from the darkest corner in the room. "Severus?"<p>

"Yes Bella… I have some food for you, and I need you to take your potions afterward." He forced a friendly smile.

The dark haired woman shuffled forward into the dim light and sat at the small table. "Was Daddy angry again?"

He grimaced as he placed the plate on the table. He walked around the table slowly and placed his hands on the woman's shoulders, she rubbed the side of her face against his arm. "He is just concerned about you my dear. He wants you healthy again."

She nodded slowly, and began to eat. "Can you help me with my hair, I want to look good for Daddy when he visits."

He moved to the sideboard next to her bed and retrieved her silver brush and went to work as she ate. When she had finished, he watched as she swallowed the potions. He then replaced the hairbrush and fled the room before she could speak further.

He leaned on the wall across from the now locked door, even without her wand she scared him. He shuddered as he gathered himself. "If it were up to me that woman would not live to see the morning," he said quietly to himself.

A song drifted to his ears from under the door.

'Hush, little baby don't say a word…

Daddy's gong to bring you a baby bird…

If that baby bird doesn't sing…

Mommy will help you pull off its wings…'

He tried to shut out the sound of the song as it continued and he moved away.


	81. Chapter 82

**Chapter 81**

St. Petersburg, not one of James's favorite cities. Oh, don't get it wrong, he thought the city was beautiful enough, its architecture amazing and the food excellent. No it was the fact that the majority of the covert operations for Russia were run from here. Originally it had been the home and training ground of Smersh and the eastern unit of the GRU (Soviet Military Intelligence), both of which were to be later absorbed by the KGB.

In truth that never happened. Smersh still operated as a nearly autonomous arm of the KGB, although it had undergone a metamorphosis into a group now known as SMASH after the reformation of Russia. The group was known to be populated with hard line Communist Party members, from both their military and intelligence community. That alone would make them dangerous, but add in the fact that they operated with both government and criminal element blessing behind the scenes? They were terrifying.

And here he was operating in their back yard.

He grumbled as he shook the rain off his coat in the entryway of their hotel. He looked over at Anya, her hair plastered down with rainwater. "I think a warm shower before dinner, what do you say love?"

She nodded. "Maybe, have something sent up?"

"Sounds good, then we can make plans about what we want to see tomorrow." As they made their way to the lift, James was lost in thought. Recent intelligence on the area was sketchy at best, fluctuations the last few years had drastically changed the playing field as well as the players.

As the lift doors began to close the same feeling of unease from the plane passed over him again. It was a feeling that had saved his life before in the past, so he was not about to ignore it now.

A meaty hand grabbed the doors just before they closed completely; as they slid open a large man joined them in the car. "Pyat'," he said, in a strong voice. He was large, maybe six foot two or three. His hands were callused, and he wore an ill fitting charcoal grey suit.

Anya answered, "I'm so sorry, I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Pyat'," he said again holding up one hand fingers spread, seemingly annoyed he reached over and punched a button himself saying "Pyat'," again.

He turned slowly to face the doors as they closed with a thump. As if that was his signal to move his right arm snapped up his elbow connecting with Anya's arm as she moved to block its contact with her jaw. The impact lifted her from her feet and slammed her against the side of the car hard.

James was already moving to attack, sending his first punch into the kidney of the man. Only for his fist to impact some form of body armor hidden beneath his coat. He blocked the return blow as the man turned to face him, his arm throbbing where he had made contact.

He knew he needed to end this quickly, as they had no idea what was waiting for them on the fifth floor. He let himself fall back against the wall of the lift and kicked out hard into the man's knee, with a sucking squelch it collapsed. In an instant he was on him again, as he drew the small knife from the small of his back sliding it deep into his opponent's throat.

He looked up at the floor counter as the man's struggles slowed, the three lit. His mind was racing, how did they find them? Where had he made a mistake? They had only been here three days… Had Anya contacted them without his notice?

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Now was not the time for that. Get clear of the situation first then figure the rest out. Turning to the stunned Anya he said, "Up! Or I leave you here!"

James stood pulling off his shoes and popped the heels loose, pressing himself into the corner he waited for the lift to reach the fifth floor. As the door slid open he tossed the first heel out, a massive flash and a bang followed, he counted to three then threw the second heel. Again a flash and bang rang through the hallway.

James sprinted into the hallway, gun in hand, to find two gunmen, both of whom had been caught by the second grenade. Two quick shots and he was moving on and down the hallway at a run.

Ten minutes and a stop past the laundry later, he was walking down the alleyway behind the hotel. He had had a little trouble with the man that had been stationed in the stairway and had a bullet graze on his left side to show for it. Anya had stayed with him; at some point upstairs she had a taken a bullet to her arm.

Sirens could be heard in the distance; he gestured at the catering van parked next to the rubbish bin. They were inside and on their way down a side road before the first police car had skidded to a halt.

James glanced at his mirrors checking for anyone following, then looked at Anya. "I believe we have outstayed our welcome."

She slammed her hand against the door. "_**NYET!**_ I will not leave without answers!"

James shook his head, and turned down another roadway, finally pulling to the side of the road. "Did you contact them?" he asked.

Her head snapped toward him. "What! Why would I do that? They tried to kill me!"

He turned toward her, gun visible low at his side. "Then how did they know we were here? You are dead as far as they should be concerned, the night we smuggled you out." He kept his voice even, "There are only a handful of people that know you survived. New hair, teeth, contacts to change your eye color…"

She looked at the gun, stunned. "I didn't… wouldn't…" her face grew angry. "Maybe it was you… They had to have recognized you!"

"I took the same precautions," he stated.

She looked confused. "James… I promise you, on the soul of Sergei, I had nothing to do with this! I do not know how they found us! Are you absolutely certain of your people? Could one of them…"

He shook his head. "No, only a handful even knew of this mission. None of them would do something like this. Even the funds were set up independent of our system."

She sat back, but left both hands visible. "Yet they found us."

He knew she would not make such a vow lightly, so he doubted she had contacted them. "The question is how…" he said softly, starting the car again. He needed to find different transportation, then a place to regroup.

Harry stepped into the chamber. He was early for their training but he hoped Moody would be as well. "Moody?" he called.

"Aye, lad." The grizzled Auror stepped away from the firing range.

They met in the small sitting area. "I was just practicing with one of yer toys. Amelia and yer man Q are insisting that they be included in the Unspeakable training. She wants it to eventually be given to the Aurors as well."

Harry knew what she had planned, and heartily approved. "Well, if you need any pointers..."

"No, yer lass Patricia has been teaching me and Croaker." He sat heavily in the chair. "I know that they are effective, I saw the… video, was it?" Harry nodded. "But it's still difficult for me to believe. They said you got ol' Lucius with it. Was that him in the…"

Harry nodded again. "It was him. Sirius told me that Cissy said 'he got exactly what he deserved'."

Moody chuckled. "Right! So he did! Now, what are ye' down here lookin' for me about."

Harry's eyes went cold as he said one word. "Dementors."

Moody studied the younger man's face. "Aye, I expected you would want to know about them. Especially after what I heard about what went on with the train."

"I need more information. Alex has me working on the Patronus Charm," he said, "but that is just a defense, it only runs them off. How do you kill one?"

Moody sat back. "I-I I don't know. I don't think it has ever been done."

"Great…" Harry said. "What can you tell me about them?"

Moody looked pensive for a moment. "I don't think they 'see' in the traditional sense… I know that the ministry uses special wards to contain them, and muggles can't see them… I may not be the best person to ask about this Harry… I can cast a Patronus… but I don't know that much about dementors. I could ask Croaker, he may know more."

Harry sighed. "Could you have him write up something for me. Till I understand more about them and can protect myself I'm not inclined to leave Hogwarts with them just flitting about."

"Right you are," Moody said. "From what the report said, you have an unusually strong reaction to them… do you have any idea what saved you on the train?"

He nodded, knowing full well it was his spirit animal. "I have an idea… but I don't think it is something I can count on every time," Harry said with a small grin. "When you talk to Croaker, have him look for any way to destroy these things… If something was to happen and we need a way to combat them… run any information by Q too."

"Alright," Moody said. "I'm not a fan of the damn things myself. Always seemed too dangerous to just have running around."

Sirius sat at his desk as Cissy read the pages he had prepared. When she looked up from them he asked, "Well, what do you think?"

"It's… an interesting approach," she said. "I believe it may be feasible, but not without some risk. May I have some time to review the laws involved?"

"Of course," he said with a smirk. "I don't think this is an urgent mater at the moment."

"How long will I have to research this? I can start right away, but this will take quite a bit of time, and I was hoping to visit Drake, he wishes for me to be there for the holidays."

He smiled softly. "I don't think that will be an issue. The first time Harry may be able to put any of your information to use would not be till at least the spring, I'll keep you updated."

She nodded her understanding. "I will try to have it prepared when he has need of it… Have you given any thought as to when you are planning to pass your Lordship to him?"

"Hmmm… Not for a while yet. There are still a few things that I need to straighten out in the Black finances. I don't want it to be necessary for him to deal with some of the _people_ that our family has had business dealings with in the past," he said, with no small amount of disgust. "_I_ don't want to deal with most of them… Anyway, how is Drake getting along?"

"Well, his grades have been excellent, as you know," she said with pride. "He is working hard to get caught up in the studies he was lacking. I think the work program has shown great dividends as well, when the new year started he was promoted, he isn't in the kitchen any more. He was moved into the office staff for the cafeteria, he has shown that he has a talent for scheduling and budgeting."

Sirius smiled widely, as she continued. "He seems happier now… he has even started saving some of his wages to buy an auto."

"Make sure you find out how much he spends, we'll add that to his account," Sirius said.

"Thank you, Sirius," she said. "You've done so much for us…"

"You're both family, never forget that."


	82. Chapter 83

And the new chapter!

Once again I own nothing!

Read! Enjoy! Review! As it is the only form of payment any of us expect.

**Chapter 83**

"Say what you want about the man," James said, as he stepped away from the refrigerator, "but Valentin has excellent taste in Champagne, a 1976 Henriot."

"How long have you known this Valentin Zkovsky?" she asked placing the toast points on the plate next to a container of caviar.

"We… have had an arrangement or two in the past." He smiled, as he took a point and dabbed a spoonful of caviar onto it. "This is his caviar, it's quite good." He offered it to her.

Taking it, she asked, "And he won't mind us dropping by?"

"Let's just say he owes me," he replied with a smirk. He helped himself to caviar. "Any idea of how they made us?"

She shook her head. "No… I have gone over it many times. I did not see anyone tailing us, and no suspicious groups, or individuals. We did not even approach the target yet. I do not understand it."

He nodded his agreement. "They had to be waiting for us to return to the hotel… Maybe someone at the hotel?"

She shook her head and took another toast point. "It is a possibility but then again, why then three days? Why not take us sooner? Or during the night? No, it felt like a quickly arranged operation… I do not think the man in the elevator was supposed attack us."

James agreed with her, it seemed unorganized, not something he expected from one of their teams. "If we are going to stay we need to find out how they tracked us… The best place to start would be the hotel."

* * *

><p>James stepped out of the shadows and into the alley, flipping his collar up on his jacket as he went. Rain had started just over an hour into their surveillance some eight hours earlier. They had figured two days were sufficient time for them to think they had left the area, so far they had not seen anything out of the ordinary.<p>

He pulled his hat down, and blended into the group of people entering for the evening shift change. Hanging near the rear he listened to the people's discussions. Unfortunately he heard nothing of interest.

He continued down the corridor, past the employee area toward the service lift. Pausing at a door marked Personnel Manager he smirked. Placing his hand on the knob, he inserted the wire end of a pistol shaped device. Three pulls of the large lever on the front and the auto pick clicked and the handle turned. He stepped inside.

He had to chuckle as he dug through the files of the employees, taking a photo of each person's record and employment photo. Sometimes government bureaucracy made his job so much easier, like this case. Not only did the Russian love of complete paper work labor against them, but so did their organization method. Each person was not only listed under their name, but a duplicate file was kept by department.

He skipped most of the files, focusing on management and security. When he was done with those he went through the front of house staff, including the front desk and bell staff. He looked down at his watch when he finished, he had three hours left till change of shift. He wanted a look at both the manager's office and security before then.

Just over an hour later he had completed his search of the manager's office, and made his way down to security. He knelt next to the doorway and slipped a vial out of his coat pocket, attached the spray bulb to the top then slipped the small tube under the door and pressed the bulb three times. After waiting thirty seconds he unlocked the door with the auto pick.

Inside he found the three on-duty guards asleep; working quickly he looked over the room as he placed each guard in a position that mimicked them falling asleep at their post as quickly as he could. The equipment in the room astounded him, it was all state of the art. Color monitors showed a number of public hallways, each camera could even be independently controlled and zoomed as needed. He had only seen a few places with such a sophisticated system, it even surpassed the ones in the hotels in Las Vegas by a magnitude.

He grumbled as he looked around, "What in the hell do they need a system like this for?" He bent over the control panel and tapped a few buttons cycling the monitors through their paces. Zooming one of the cameras in he depressed the 'capture' feature, a picture of the person appeared on a dark monitor to his right. Below it a small blinking line of text appeared, 'transmitting'.

"What the hell?" He watched the text blink a moment, then went back to searching the room. He knew his time was limited, so he took pictures that he could reference later. He had just stepped to the door and retrieved a second vial from his pocket when the printer in the corner of the room sprang to life, startling him. Moving quickly he snapped a picture and moved out of the door.

Placing the bulb on the vial he repeated the process he had used earlier. "Q, I hope you got this stuff right," he mumbled under his breath, thinking about the armorer's explanation of the confusion draught. He had assured him that when used with the sleeping potion it left the person disoriented and confused about recent events much like the drug Rohypnol, only in aerosol form, effectively obliterating any recent memory they had.

James made his way back to the employee entrance and left with the shift change.

* * *

><p>James spread the pictures out on the table so they could look at the employee photos. "Recognize anyone?" he asked.<p>

Anya leaned over the table studying each photo. "Nyet, I do not." She started going through the employment history for each of them. "This one," she said handing the page to James. "He was GRU, but… he left before they joined the KGB… he is not high in the staff, but he may be worth looking into."

James nodded. "There is more to the manager than meets the eye as well," he said placing another stack of photos on the table. "He has a direct line telephone that is unlabeled, as well as a pistol hidden in the desk." He spun one of the pictures toward her. "He also has access to… more substantial firepower."

She looked at the photo of a small armory, including two automatic rifles and a sub-machine gun. "Are these in security?"

"No," he said, "they have access to a few pistols. These are hidden behind a panel just to the right of his liquor cabinet."

She nodded. He then placed the final pages on top of the others. "I think this is how they found us, however. Their security system is top notch, better than any I have seen outside a major military facility. Independently controllable cameras, with high powered zoom, and photo capture capability. The cap to this is…" he placed the last photo on the table. "I used the capture feature when I was there, just to get an idea of how the system worked, somehow it was able to access this."

She picked up the photo, it had a complete biography of the person pictured. "How?"

"I'm not sure, but I think this may be the same type of system the Americans are creating. It uses something called facial recognition." She looked at him confused. "It uses a computer to analyze the face in a picture and compares it to those contained in a data base."

"So this is how they found us?" she asked.

"Most likely," he said. "From what I gathered from my briefing on the project, just changing hair color, or eye color won't fool the system." He sat across from her. "The data base also needs to have a picture of a person to compare it to." He tapped the photo of the man who had been checked. "He's KGB, does the format of the information look familiar?"

She looked again. "It looks like a KGB personnel dossier… Mine would have had my picture in it."

He nodded. "And they may have a picture of me as well. But that is not what is important, I need to get this information to MI6, if they have this system in place at this hotel it may be in others as well."

She nodded her understanding. "And that could put your people at risk… How accurate do you think it is?"

"I don't really know, but from the way the capture capable cameras are arranged… it needs to be an almost full on frontal picture… facial appliances… or dark large lens glasses… If you can disrupt the computer's ability to 'see' the points it uses for comparison."

She nodded. "You work on getting the information to your people. I'll begin working on new documents and disguises for us."

"I'll also see if Q has any other ideas about how to get around it."

* * *

><p>Harry laid out the papers on the small table. "These are examples of some of the magic found in Japan, Croaker. Simple barriers, and warding, a type of runes I expect. They start learning them at a very young age, along with meditation and martial arts to help increase their focus."<p>

"How powerful are they?" he asked picking up one of the paper tags.

"Enough to stop a creature known as an oni… their version of a troll, quite easily. You and Moody are going to help us with the tests against spell fire tonight," he said picking up the stack and walking toward the 'kill house'. "Do you have any more information about Dementors?"

"Unfortunately we do not know much about them or where they came from," Croaker said as he followed. "They appeared for the first time in the 1500's, during the early witch hunts. They seemed drawn to those of magical blood more than non magical, but would attack both given the chance."

He watched as Harry applied the seal and the outside of the structure glowed green for a moment. "It took almost a hundred years before we learned how to combat them, and another fifty to round them up. Originally they were placed on the island that became known as Azkaban… the prison was constructed later."

He watched as Harry returned and set up several weapons to test against the structure. "Does it take any of your energy to maintain?"

Harry shook his head. "It is charged when it is drawn, I can make about six at a sitting, Alex can do five. This is one of the first barriers taught, I call it the Safe Room. It will stay up till I take it down, unless it is broken, or if I'm knocked unconscious. I've been told that there are others that don't have the last limitation. This one however was designed to be used by younger less experienced, it can also be reinforced by direct application of magic."

Croaker nodded, and continued his briefing. "The runes used to contain them are fairly intricate, and the control runes ridiculously so. Only myself, Madam Bones, The Minister and the Prison Warden have access to the control runes."

Harry leaned against the firing table. "We need to get this information to M. She will want wards around several buildings… can you tell me how to destroy one?"

He shook his head. "No, it's something we've never been able to do. Even the Killing Curse is ineffective."

"Any chance of getting one to… experiment on?" he asked.

"No, their numbers are closely monitored..." He paused, thinking. "But it may be possible to have one of them escape… The way they are being used at the moment, spread around the country, we may be able to use that to our advantage."

Harry smirked, "Give it some thought… Let's start the tests with small arms, I'd like to be done with the firearms by the time Moody gets here."


	83. Chapter 84

And I'm back!

Sorry about the absence, but an injury (due to my own ill advised reactions) left me with only one hand for a wile. Even now I'm still in physical therapy for it, so expect new chapters to be slightly further apart than the normal two weeks for the moment.

Now on with the show!

Again I own Nothing!

READ! ENJOY! REVIEW! Remember that a review is the only form of payment ever received for the work put in by the writers!

And a big thanks to by Beta the mighty pazed!

**Chapter 84**

Harry coughed as the smoke cleared. "I think that covers the last of the spells… Why did you want to do that anyway? We saw it did block the 'reducto', but not the 'defodio'. Why try an 'expulso'? Isn't it more powerful than either one of those?"

Moody shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, I thought it may be blocked because of the different nature of the curse… and I wanted to see what the difference in damage was like."

"I think you just like to blow crap up," Harry said under his breath, walking toward the now collapsed front wall of the kill house. "You're cleaning this mess up!"

Moody chuckled. "Reducto is a surface blast, originally it was used to collapse small game tunnels… fox warrens, rat nests… things like that. It is low powered, but can kick up a lot of dust and debris into the air, it also tends to be quite loud."

"The 'defodio' was designed for different reasons," he continued, Tonks and Harry listening carefully. "It is primarily a digging spell. It was designed to move earth and depending on the amount of power and time it can be used to do a lot of things, from plow a furrow for a garden to dig a foundation pillar hole that is several feet deep. Does a good job on walls as well."

"The last spell I used, the expulso, it explodes from within the target object..."

Harry cut him off. "So they are a direct fire wizard version of a flash bang, breaching charge, and grenade…"

Tonks nodded. "From a tactical view, yes. They have other uses as well, but that's how they could be used in combat. The reducto isn't as powerful as a flash bang, as it doesn't cover as much area, and the defodio could be used to shore up defenses so it is not as limited as a breaching charge."

Harry stepped into the kill house and looked over the damage. "How does the expulso work, and do you see any differences in the damage here to what you would normally expect?" he asked Moody.

"The size of the explosion is dependent on how much power you can push into the object before it explodes." He looked around the room. "This was a little different than most situations however." He pointed to the area that had been obliterated by the spell. "I aimed at the door, rather than the stone of the wall, it made the explosion a little more energetic. The power of the spell is limited by the size and durability of the object it is aimed at."

He kicked the remains of the door. "Wood, like this door, has a low threshold and explodes rather spectacularly, but it is more for show than effect. The pieces tend to be small and light so they do little collateral damage, but I guess that your seal did something to the spell as the chunks are larger than I expected and I had to put more into the spell than I normally would have." He tapped one of the blocks that made up the wall. "If I had hit one of these the pieces from it could conceivably kill someone, but only the one block would explode."

Harry nodded then looked around at the floor. "I want to try something." He waved his wand over the area pushing debris out of the way. "I want all of us around the corner of the corridor entrance. Moody do you think you can hit this floor tile?" he asked, tapping his foot on the four foot by four foot stone.

"Aye…" the retired Auror replied, as what Harry wanted to see dawned on him. "Why would you want to be see'n that?" he asked, his remaining eye wide.

"I've noticed it is a standard design element in most wizarding buildings and businesses to have heavy stone tile flooring. Granted this one is larger than a lot of them…"

Seeing what he was after Tonks knelt next to the tile in question. "And I'm betting there would be a difference if it was one lying on the surface vs. one that is actually part of a floor?"

"It may be," agreed Harry. "The blast pattern could be greatly different."

She nodded her head, and aimed her wand. In short order she had cut the tile in to four pieces. "That is closer to most stone tiles."

After they had exited the corridor leading to the kill house, Moody leaned back around the entry way, aimed then muttered, "Expulso!"

The effect was immediate, a powerful _KATHAMM!_ rang through the Chamber of Secrets. Their ears were still ringing as they approached the kill house entrance. If there had been anyone inside it would have been a charnel house, shattered stone was everywhere. The walls showed impact marks from the debris, from about waist height up.

Harry whistled softly, "I think this is something we need to keep under our hats."

* * *

><p>James sat back after taking off his shoes, and rubbed a spot in the arch of his foot. It had taken most of the day but he had gotten a report out on the afternoon plane to Hong Kong. In a few hours it would find its way to M's desk. He grunted as he found the sore spot, new shoes were<em> not<em> a thing you wanted to deal with on a mission!

He was really feeling his age on this one, he thought to himself. Between the rain, the cold and the shoes he was feeling every one of his fifty-five years hanging on him, or maybe it was more the mileage? He looked up when Anya entered. "I will never let Q talk me into having shoes with heels that are destroyed when you use his equipment again."

"Hmm… Better than the bra that they tried to get me to wear, the padding was plastic explosives." She smiled as she put a plate of food in front of him.

He looked at her for a moment trying to decide if she was having him on or not. "It would give a new meaning to lift and separate, if something went wrong…" he deadpanned, after he figured she was being truthful.

"Ha… That," she laughed again, "That is what Sergei said as well. I told him he had been looking at too many of those decadent Victoria Secret catalogues… I suspect it may be the same with you," she said snidely.

James snorted. "The way I found her secret was decidedly more hands on than a catalogue."

Her voice rose in laughter again; when she quieted she asked, "Did you get your information out?"

"I did. How are our new identities coming?" he asked taking a bite of his dinner.

"So far so good. I used the ones your people supplied, and removed the old information. Once they are dry I will begin to add the new information, I think we need to leave the pictures till you hear from your Mr. Q and see if he has any other suggestions."

James nodded. "Probably best, it will most likely be two or three days till we hear something. In the meantime we will see about collecting a few odds and ends."

* * *

><p>Croaker sat in the leather appointed chair in front of the desk as M flipped through the pages of the first folder he had handed her. "It looks like you completed the initial tests of the Seal magic? What is your assessment?" She placed the folder on the table unread, she wanted to see his reaction. She could read a complete summary later.<p>

He took a sip of his tea before answering, "They are effective, there is no doubt about that, especially considering that these are seals on their lower level. We have decided that a classification system is in order for them and we will use this seal as our basis, a Class 1 Defensive Seal. Good for most small arms, and indirect explosions. I think they are something that needs to be pursued in the future."

She nodded, steepling her hands in front of her chin as she leaned forward. "Q agrees, how is your progress coming with the… restructuring of your department?"

Croaker set his cup aside. "That has… been difficult. Many… Many of the ones… we have let go… were people I considered friends." She nodded her understanding. "The most heinous offenders… have been dealt with… Most of the others have had their memories altered, that will hold till they can be dealt with in a more… permanent fashion. It will be complete sometime over the summer, to keep from raising suspicions."

"Good." She rose and poured him a stiff drink from her bar, and handed it to him. "For what it is worth, I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "It is necessary, and they were not the people I believed them to be." He sighed as he took a drink. "We've recovered quite a few items, as well as research materials… Unfortunately we are still missing some rather dangerous things."

"What is at the top of the list?" she asked.

He shook the ice in his glass absently. "The remaining two time turners… We recovered one from the Goblins, it was in with Dumbledore's office things. How he got it? We're not entirely sure, but they are looking into the misappropriation of Hogwarts funds and where that money went. I'm just thankful he couldn't get to it when he was forced from the school."

"Dumbledore…" she growled. "That man has more secrets… We are still working on the paperwork concerning the Potters alone! And we've barely gotten started on the other family backgrounds he had hidden at the school… At any rate," she moved back behind her desk, "I assume the remaining Unspeakables have given their oaths?"

He smiled. "They have, giving the department of Mysteries a total of three magically trained operators, and five researchers… Moody wants to have each of the operators to begin training as soon as possible… And Q wants to assign someone to the research department permanently… someone from something called IT."

"Information Technology," she supplied. "A specialist in information retrieval and storage… Computers, telephones… things of that nature. It's not an impossibility…" She made a note on a pad. "I want to run something past you… How would you feel about relocating your department?"

He looked at her with a confused expression and she continued. "I am uncomfortable placing some of the items in your inventory, as well as your personnel, back in such a… conspicuous location… Let's face it the Department of Mysteries location was one of the worst kept secrets in your world."

He chuckled softly. "Agreed, what is your idea?"

"An old water treatment plant is not too far from your Ministry building. No one would go there and it could be easily retrofitted, and secured. We move the main operation there, and place a token group in place at the Ministry, enough to make it look like it is still your headquarters, and we place everything sensitive in the secondary site."

He thought about it for a moment. "I think that would be wise. Can we create a couple of deep storage areas? For particularly dangerous things?"

She nodded. "There are several deep water cisterns that could be converted to high security vaults." She made another note. "I'll talk with my associates and arrange funding. Now! Have you thought about your criteria for recruiting?"


	84. Chapter 85

For those interested in such a thing, I will be having a small surgery next week to repair some other ligament damage I did to myself. So the next chapter will be delayed as well, probably a week or so. Doing both stories is difficult with only one hand.

Anyway enough about me. On with the show!

A thanks to the Amazing Pazed for the editing help!

READ! RENJOY! REVIEW! Remember that is the only form of payment that any who write these stories expect!

As always I own nothing!

**Chapter 85**

Patricia shivered involuntarily, trying in vain to repress the chill she felt. Twenty hours she told herself, and you have already survived most of them. She stood slowly and stretched. A few more hours and we will be in Egypt, and once the container is unloaded it is someone else's problem!

God this thing gave her the willies!

Ever since this operation had started she had been uneasy, and once she had been in the… thing's… presence that feeling had jumped a hundred fold! Not that she could even see it… Other than a constant feeling of unease and the chill she had only Croaker's word that it was even there, at least until Q had turned the infrared camera on it.

What she had seen chilled her to the bone.

Normally the ambient air of an area took on a grayish blue hue on the camera's screen, but on this one a pure black specter floated in the middle. Yet when she looked up she could see nothing with her naked eye. They had told her it was something called a Dementor, a creature that was not only invisible to the non magical's eye, but it could become intangible as well. Even worse the thing could feed on positive emotions! Unfortunately that was not the worst of its abilities, the thing could suck out a person's soul…

She had never been a religious person, it was not really something you could consider when in her line of work, but even after hearing Q's scientific version of the ability she had begun to rethink.

She sighed as she continued her rounds, checking each of the sentries that had been placed at the container's corners. She nodded at the first man as she continued on, her mind on the creature contained within the metal walls.

The report had said that once a person was "kissed", a misnomer if she ever heard one, the body was left alive, an empty husk. It wouldn't eat or sleep, but it did react to stimulus… especially pain, but only at the most basic levels. It was just an empty vessel with only the most rudimentary of brain function. Q had theorized it was a death of personality, a complete erasure of the person leaving just the autonomic system in place. Within weeks the husk would wither and finally pass away.

If there was such a thing as a demon, this thing fit the bill.

She nodded to the last man as she made her way to the cabin they had use of while underway, she knocked three times before entering. "Any change?" she asked.

The man pushed away from the group of monitors, and shook his head. "No, it seems to be content to stay within the containment array."

She nodded her understanding, and glanced at the screens. When her eyes crossed over the darkened blotches in the center she shuddered slightly again. "I'll be glad when this trip is over… man I wish we could have done this by air instead of ship." Her eyes returned to the man that had been introduced to her at the beginning of this mess as her magical counterpart, Theodore "Call me Ted" Bell. He was handsome, standing almost six feet with dark brown hair and eyes.

"Hmmmph… I agree," he grunted. "These things scare the hell out of me. Though I'm still not to sure about the mu… your way of flying."

Her eyes widened. "So it's not just me?" she said.

"No…" He shook his head and stood walking to the coffee maker they had placed on the top of a chest of drawers. "Count yourself lucky, you've never seen what they are capable of… or been to Azkaban…" He poured a cup, and held it as if using it to warm his chilled hands. "One is bad enough… but all of them as a group." He shivered slightly and sucked in a deep breath. "At any rate, thank you for your help with my wardrobe," he said, changing the conversation.

She smirked. "It wouldn't do to let some of these guys," referring to the guards outside, "see you in what you normally wear. They don't know about…" She gestured at the wand hidden in the holster on his wrist, "you know, and… well they wouldn't respect you after that. Besides 'basic black' is always in," she added, referring to his black trousers, and cable knit sweater. It was almost standard night wear in her circle.

"First impressions are important in our world as well." He sipped his drink. "Amazing! It is nice to have such a convenience on a mission."

She chuckled. "We even have that on stakeout!" She sat in the chair he'd vacated, "Your turn to do the walk."

He nodded and moved toward the door. "How long till we arrive?"

She looked at her watch. "We're well over half way, so… five… five and a half hours."

He nodded as he opened the door. "It can't come soon enough for me."

She watched as he closed the door and locked it.

She had just settled in, cup of coffee in hand after making the standard 'Situation Nominal' report, when she noticed the black blob on the screen begin to move. In seconds what originally looked like slight agitation became much more as the creature bounced around inside the containment array, moments later a piercing wail reached her ears.

She sprang from the chair and was pulling her pistol as she tugged the door open. The sound impacted her like a physical blow, forcing her to her knees with hands over her ears. Her eyes began to water as she forced them to search the hallway, only to find it empty.

Pat stumbled to her feet forcing her way forward, with each step it took a supreme effort to continue onward. She paused momentarily at the bulkhead door leading onto the deck, steeling herself for whatever lay beyond. Peeking through the small porthole she could see the container, and one of the guards writhing in pain on the deck, screaming in an unheard voice.

Before she could open the door she watched as an explosion shook the container ripping a section of the top loose and tossing it skyward. Ice flowed from what was left, cascading across the deck in the blink of an eye, asstreams of stars so black they stood out against the night sky blasted into the air.

Stunned by the sight she hesitated, not much but some, only to find that the door would not open when she rammed her shoulder against it. Piercing cold shot through her hand and she ripped it away from the metal handle leaving hunks of skin attached to it as she did. She watched helpless as frost began to form on the walls inside the hall, quickly thickening into a coating of solid ice. The only thing she could do was back away from the incredible cold emanating from it.

Turning she broke into a run down the hallway, toward a different doorway that would eventually lead a different section of the deck.

It wasn't till she was approaching that bulkhead door that she realized that the shriek had faded.

* * *

><p>It had taken way too long to get this far. The short haired woman sighed as she walked up the pathway toward the stone building that held the most feared wizard of the last century. It was known as Nurmengard, the prison that held the wizard known as Gellert Grindelwald.<p>

She never wanted to see this place, all her life she had been told stories about him. His defeat was legendary in her world, just as legendary as the horrible things he had done in the name of his mad crusade.

Now, with what they had uncovered about his past, along with what they knew of Dumbledore's, she was sure most of what she thought she had known was nothing more than an elaborate lie.

Truthfully she was afraid. Afraid of what she would find beyond those doors, afraid of what it would mean, not just to her or her world but to the greater world in general.

As she stepped inside, her mind wandered to what they had learned as they were gaining access to this place. According to the ICW paperwork this place had a respectable budget, but on further inspection the majority of the money had gone to a Phillip Marcelo. Someone who, on further inspection, did not seem to exist, where nearly a third of the budget went was unknown.

That had been troubling, but then they found that only four guards were assigned and that they had been hand chosen for the job, and paid well, by Dumbledore. That had set off more than a few danger signals, enough so Moody and Croaker had left for the site immediately while she, with the help of their new ICW representative Jacob Ogden (son of the creator of Ogden's Old Firewhisky), continued with the paperwork jungle to gain official access.

"Amelia," said a gruff voice as she entered.

"Moody," she replied, shutting the door. "Do I want to know?"

"Hmph," he grunted as he gestured to the unconscious man next to him. "Only one guard was here at any time. One week a month each. When we got here he was asleep."

"Wonderful…" She shook her head. "Was he even here?"

Moody stood and hobbled toward one of the interior doors. "If he was, he has since passed. There is a body. Croaker is inside, said you wouldn't want the scene disturbed before you arrived… " He followed as she passed.

They walked through a short hallway and to another door, which Moody opened with a flick of a wand. What she saw beyond the porthole… took a moment for her to process.

She looked slowly from the left to the right, four walls towered an easy sixty feet into the air around an open courtyard. In the center stood a cottage, not very large but it looked well cared for and comfortable. It had a well kept garden full of flowers out front, along with a couple of large patches filled with edible vegetables along the sides.

Moody chuckled. "I may move here when I retire again, it's nicer than my house."

She nodded slowly. It may have been a prison, but it was definitely a well gilded one.

"I'll be stayen here," he said. "Croaker said my be'n inside could be a problem."

She slowly walked through the garden as she looked around. It was immaculately kept, but she noticed something odd about it, rather something unusual for a wizard garden. There was not a single magical plant in the entire garden, it was entirely mundane.

When she reached the door she knocked softly. "Croaker? It's Amelia."

"Come in Amelia," said a voice from inside.

Inside was just as well kept. It was furnished with comfortable well made things, things much like what she may have chosen herself. "Amelia, may I introduce Pixie." The elder Unspeakable gestured to a house elf that appeared from what she assumed was the kitchen.

"Would Miss be having a cup of tea with us?" it asked.

She caught Croaker's almost imperceptible nod. "Ummm… Yes, please. If it would not be too much trouble."

"It being no trouble Miss. We's not been having visitors for a long time… It be nice to have some finally." The small creature dived back into the kitchen and the clink of dishes could be heard.

She moved slowly to the table and sat next to Croaker, and asked, "What is going on here?"

"That is something I am endeavoring to find out at the moment, please play along," he said quietly, as he sipped his tea. "She attacked Moody when he went toward the bedroom. He said he could see a body inside using his eye. Banished him right through the front door, then fixed it up and has acted as if it never happened."

He stopped speaking when the clinking stopped, and only began again when it did. "It took me some time but I have started putting some pieces together." He sipped the tea again. "Just follow my lead, we need any information she can give us."

She nodded as the small creature returned from the kitchen with a tray with more tea and biscuits.


	85. Chapter 86

**Chapter 86**

Patricia kicked the inch thick ice that coated the majority of the container ship's surface absently. It was bad… three of the men assigned to the security detail had died before they, the crew and she, could free them.

They had reached the first man almost immediately, but he had frostbite on both feet and one hand, it had been stuck to his weapon by the extreme cold... he had already lost an ear, along with a strip of skin along his face. When they tried to move him too quickly, it had remained attached to the deck plate.

When they found Ted, he was in better shape; the cold just didn't seem to affect him as much. He was coated in ice as well but it wasn't as thick, the people on board had said he was lucky. Patricia had her doubts, she had thoughts of a different kind. His Magic. His magic had somehow protected him.

She looked up as she heard the sound of helicopter rotors, she hoped the people on board could find an answer to why this had happened.

She waited patiently as the copter settled onto the platform, and an ill looking pale skinned man stumbled out just before Q. She offered up her hand to the men. "Q. Mr. Hastings?"

The green around the gills man took her hand and nodded, Q smiled widely. "Ah! Patricia my dear, I hope you were not injured in this little fiasco."

She held up her bandaged left hand. "Nothing too serious. I had my hand on the bulkhead door when it froze."

The man, Hastings, spoke for the first time. "Please allow me to look at it later, after we have seen to the other men and I have had a look at the container."

"Of course. This way gentlemen, please watch your step, the ice is treacherous," she said leading the way down the stairs.

Q looked around as they walked. "Is all of the ice a uniform depth?"

She shook her head. "No it seems to get thicker the closer you get to the container. It was almost six inches thick there."

He nodded. "Any sign of the…" His voice trailed off, almost afraid that invoking the creature's name would conjure its appearance.

She shook her head and looked at her watch. "No, and it's been almost three hours since the incident as well."

Both he and Hastings looked relieved. "Did the crew accept the cover story?"

She sighed, it wasn't the best story she had heard but it would serve as long as no one dug too deep. "That it was a classified experiment involving pressurized liquid nitrogen, yes."

Hastings asked the next question. "How large was the area affected?"

She shrugged. "That is hard to determine. We were focused on rescue initially. When we had accounted for everyone I took a look around. Most of the ship was covered with ice, and I could see some ice still clinging to the side of the ship and floating nearby."

He nodded. "Understandable. I think I should look in on the survivors first. I may be able to do something to help them."

Q agreed. "Patricia I'd like to take a look at the surveillance films before we look at the container."

She led them to a doorway that let them inside.

Hermione landed arms wide and with a resounding 'SLAP' as she hit the mat, and immediately rolled to gather her feet under her, taking in a deep gulp of air as she looked up at Harry. He had a wide smile on his face. "Good!"

He offered her his hand, she grumbled under her breath and stood on her own. "Like I'll fall for that one again!" she said under her breath.

"That's enough for today," he said to the pair of people facing him. "Neville, what you learned over the summer is impressive. We'll do a full spar this weekend, if you feel up to it. Sirius will have all the protective gear here by then. Thanks for being here today Professor." He nodded to the small man.

"Sounds good Harry," said Neville as he picked up a hand towel and wrapped it around his neck.

Hermione grumbled again, as she did the same. She hurt from head to toe, even her teeth hurt. When she turned back Neville was talking with Professor Flitwick as they walked out the door and Harry was approaching her. "Regretting your decision yet?" he asked.

She glared at him. "Hermione, this is just like starting a new exercise, it takes time."

She pulled loose the tie that had been holding her hair back. "I-It just feels like you are both so far ahead… I feel like I wasted the summer."

He smiled, and gathered her into a hug. "You were doing something important… Your dad needed you…your family needed you." She melted further into his arms and let out a deep sigh.

"As for Neville and I… I've been at this a few years, Mia, and Neville… He's being driven by his own personal demons." She looked up at him confused. "That's his story to tell… and it's probably best if you don't ask him about it." She nodded and returned to the comfort of his hug. "It is important you learn how to fall before anything else."

She knew this, she had heard it from her father when she had said she wanted to learn a martial art. She sighed, "Yeah, but right now I feel like a rag doll."

He chuckled. "I imagine… I felt the same way when I started."

After a minute of enjoying the feeling of his arms around her she looked up at him again. "Harry? Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure Mia," he said breaking their hug and moving to collect their things.

"Why do you carry a gun?" she asked.

He froze for a moment, this was not something he had expected. He sighed and went with the same story he told her father. "My grandfather helped arrange it… He is a very rich man and has made several enemies over the years… Then there is my peerage, both magical and non…" He wiped his face and sat on the bench next to the door. "The deciding factor, however, was the possible threat posed by the followers of the man that killed my parents."

She nodded as she sat next to him and he continued. "I had learned a few things from Poppy's head of security but when they heard about what happened to my parents he insisted on having me learn how to use a weapon to defend myself.

"And the driving?" she asked.

He smiled. "Poppy again. He loves to drive, in the summers we spend a lot of time at different tracks around Europe."

She began to ask another question when a knock on the door interrupted her. When it opened Su Li and Alex entered. "Good evening ladies. What can we do for you this evening?"

Su Li was looking around the room as she removed her shoes. "I hope you forgive me but I was listening in when you were speaking with Mr. Longbottom about practicing martial arts." She shrugged off her robes revealing a black and white gi with wooden toggles instead of buttons. "I wish to see your skill."

Harry chuckled as he stood. "As the lady wishes." They moved to the center of the mat and bowed deeply. Harry spread his feet into the open form of stance, she adopted one he was unfamiliar with. One that presented a side profile and a bobbing motion much like a boxer.

His grin widened, he loved a challenge. "Hermione… If you would."

Hermione and Alex walked to the edge of the mat, she looked at each of them in turn and sighed. "_**Begin**_!"

Amelia stirred her tea with a light clink now and again thinking back on the things she had seen. It had taken the majority of the afternoon and a lot of talking before Croaker was satisfied with the house elf's story. The elf's orders had been simple, keep the man inside restricted to the house and gardens, keep the house and gardens clean and neat, the man is to have no access to magical plants and or a wand, no one is to see the man. In the end Croaker slipped something into the small creature's tea and moments later it was in a deep sleep.

He had stood and pointed his wand at it, mumbled a few words and it had glowed briefly before he motioned to her and led them to the back of the cottage. He went slowly, casting detections as they went.

In the bedroom they found the body. The body was nothing more than a dried husk dressed in nice everyday robes. It was as if he had lain down for a nap and passed away.

They had immediately set to work. Everything in the room was carefully catalogued, bagged and placed in a magical trunk that Croaker supplied. Most of the things they found seemed very generic, six sets of robes identical to the ones he was wearing, stack upon stack of books, but no pictures… nothing personal.

The desk had also been of little use. It was impeccably clean, the ink well full and quills like new. Nothing they found gave an indication of the man.

She looked up when the door to her office opened. Croaker sat heavily in the seat across from her as he waved his wand in an intricate pattern she now knew well, a muffling charm. "Something happened with project Cloak."

This made her sit forward, she knew of the mission to grab one of the dementors but had not heard of the progress.

He pulled a packet of pictures from his cloak and passed them across to her. "Wizarding photos of what surveillance video showed during the crossing to Egypt."

She opened the folder and looked at the first picture, a large black blob was afloat in a sea of grey. Suddenly it began to rush around the picture, backward and forward, left and right up and down seemingly impacting on an invisible wall only to rebound and crash off in a different direction. Then just as suddenly as it began, the blob came to a halt and seemed to shudder…. Then explode. The picture then reset and the sequence began again.

She watched the entire thing three more times before she moved on to the next photo. He spoke as she did. "The statements from Patricia and the crew that saw the explosion; an incredibly loud piercing scream preceded it." This picture was from a different camera, black and white looking down at the container. The top and sides seemed to bulge slightly then the top was suddenly missing and a fountain of the darkest black seemed to spring up in its place, smoke… or steam pouring with it. When the picture reset she moved on.

The next photos were of the normal muggle type. "The ice formed in moments. Three of the guards were killed by the ice one injured badly. Ted Bell is suffering from severe depletion of his magical core. One crewman was knocked or fell overboard and froze as well."

She tossed the package on the table, and stood. "Damn it!" She grabbed the Firewhisky from the cabinet along with a pair of glasses, and slammed it closed. "Any idea why it happened?" she asked as she poured them both a drink.

"Not at the moment but we'll be looking into it," he said taking the drink and swallowing it in one gulp; a moment later he belched the small gout of flame that gave the liquor its name. "_But_ we did learn something." That had her attention. "When it happened, the wail came from the others as well. Reports are pouring in from those that heard it."

"So they could feel one of their own dying?... It is dead correct?" she asked.

"Apparently…" he said. "I do not feel it is prudent to try and procure another until such time as we have some form of answers."

She nodded. "I agree. How long until Bell is recovered?"

"If we have an emergency…" He thought a couple of minutes. "A week, otherwise I want him to rest for at least two."

"And the other man?" she asked, unsure how much they could help a non magical.

"The potions Hastings tried did little if anything, however the poultice and salves did quite well. Not as well as on a magical mind, but well enough that he was able to save several of the man's toes and all of his fingers. He will have a scar where the skin was torn off his face but it will not be nearly as bad as if it had been left the way it was… His ear however… nothing could be done for its loss."

She nodded, there had been some speculation about how magical medicines would work on a non-magical but this was the first place it had really been tried. "How long do you plan to monitor his progress?"

"We have arranged for Hastings to be one of his doctors until such time as he is released. So at least that long, he used some of the same items on Patricia as well so we will be keeping an eye on her too."

She nodded as she finished her drink, then gathered the file. "Have you informed M?"

"She's my next stop, you were closer."

"Make sure James sees it as well…" She looked thoughtful for a moment, as she handed them back. "Have Moody take a set to Harry and Alex as well."

"I already did," he said as he shut the door behind him.


	86. Chapter 87

**Merry Christmas!** And/or **Happy Holidays! **

As well as a **Happy New Year!**

I hope each and every one of you enjoy these days to the fullest!

Now on with the show!

Again I own nothing!

And a big thank you to my editor the amazing pazed!

Read! Enjoy! Review!

**Chapter 87**

Harry walked down the slope that led from the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets toward the small seating area where Alex was working on perfecting the barrier seal Su Li had taught him over the weekend, after their second sparring session.

Their first session had left them both panting and bruised with no clear winner, but he had a suspicion that she, like himself, had been feeling him out, probing for the extent of his skills. Then when the weekend arrived, as well as the pads that had been promised, she had challenged him again.

Her style was fluid and supple, just when he thought he would connect with a solid blow she would somehow twist and the blow would only hit with minimal impact. His on the other hand tended to be more rigid, focused on blocking strikes and then countering, an un-intercepted strike would be absorbed much like a boxer. As different as the styles were, they were a good sparring pair.

"Alex," he greeted as he approached.

She made another mark with her brush then looked up. "Harry… I think I've got it."

He looked over her paper and nodded. "It looks correct, I think you can try and power it."

She nodded and placed her hands over the paper, her brow furrowed in concentration. Thirty second later she slumped back into her chair. "How does this one work again?"

Harry sat next to her. "It will set up a barrier over an opening, say in a hallway, no door or anything necessary. Just slap it on the ground and it will cover an area up to ten meters."

She nodded, then placed her hand on his. "Harry what… what happened today in DADA?"

He had known he would need to give her an explanation after that. He took a deep breath and began. "Stupid Boggart…"

* * *

><p>The class had begun as most others, everyone talking as they came in to take their seats, only to find all of the desks stacked neatly along the sides of the room. In the front stood an armoire, it was a full size one like they had in their dorm rooms. Only this one had its doors locked shut with a length of rope wrapped around the handles. It shook occasionally, doors rattling.<p>

"Please come in and gather round," said the professor. He gestured to the cabinet. "On an off chance, an individual in Hogsmead had an uninvited guest, a Boggart."

Murmurs came from around the room, but soon died down and he continued. "Now! A Boggart is fairly rare and considered by most to be a pest. _BUT!_" he stressed, "They are a pest that can be dangerous!"

He looked around at the group, to be sure he had their attention, for the most part he did. "Weasley! Thomas! Finnigan! Your eyes up here please! As I was saying! It is classified as a pest, but it can be dangerous."

He then demonstrated a simple charm with the incantation of _Riddikulus_! "The Boggart is an interesting creature as no one has ever seen its true form. It responds to the closest individual reading their greatest fear and adopts that appearance, in essence _becoming_ their greatest fear." He flipped the rope off the door handles with a twitch of his wand. "When it appears it will quickly take on that appearance forcing the person to face his greatest fear in order to cast. To do so you must be able to picture whatever that fear is in a humorous situation."

"Longbottom? What do you think your fear will be?" He asked looking at the boy.

"B-Bellatrix Lestrange…." he said looking down.

"Ahh… Yes… Quite… Do you have an idea to use?" he asked.

Neville shook his head, and the instructor nodded. "Understandable. Please step to the side, I will want to speak with you shortly. I may be able to help." Neville moved to the back of the forming line. "Weasley! Step forward!"

"S-Spiders…" He stammered.

"Very well." He motioned him forward. "Do you have a picture in your mind?" The red head nodded. "Now, when you successfully cast the spell I want you to step to the side and move to the rear of the line. Once you have all done so three times, you will be free to go. I want twelve inches on how to recognize a Boggart infestation for next class…"

With that pronouncement he pulled open the doors and a swirl of smoke flowed out, it elongated and twisted till it became a dark grey and brown spider as big as Weasley was tall. His skin lost two shades of color taking on an impressively pale and sickly pallor, his eyes scrunched closed as he raised his wand and shouted R-R-_Riddikulus_!

With a soft flash the spider suddenly had roller-skates at the end of each leg, it was immediately thrashing trying to gain its balance, before slipping into a jumbled heap in the middle of the floor. Laughter filled the room.

"Good! Next!"

So it went until Harry stepped forward.

The wisp of colors swam, finally setting into the form of a man sitting in a swiveling leather wingback chair, he was balding with a long scar running down his face bisecting his milky right eye. His left was bright blue and burned with a ferocious intensity and intelligence. His white suit matched his white long-haired Abyssinian cat.

Harry stood frozen for a moment, as the man began to laugh. It was cold, maniacal, making every hair on Harry's neck stand on end. Then Harry moved…

* * *

><p>Harry sighed as he sat back in the chair, the story he had given the professor, his head of house and the Headmaster had skirted the issue, he didn't give the man a name but allowed them to believe it was someone that had tried to hijack a train while he and his father had been traveling on the continent when he was very young.<p>

So it was sort of true… Only they had been searching for James at the time, trying to kill him.

Harry rubbed a hand over his face, he had already decided to tell Alex the truth. "His name is Ernst Stavro Blofeld, and he is one of the most dangerous men on the planet."

He stood and walked to the small counter pouring himself a glass of water. He spoke again keeping his back to her. "He is the head of a group known as S.P.E.C.T.R.E, **SP**ecial **E**xecutive for **C**ounter-intelligence, **T**errorism, **R**evenge and **E**xtortion, their Number 1." He sighed again and took a deep drink. "He and my father have had more than a few run-ins. He is ruthless, brutal, and is hell bent on doing any thing he can to increases SPECTRE's presence and influence."

He took another drink. "He will let nothing stand in his way…" He turned to face her, for the first time she saw something different in his eyes… fear. "You need to promise me something, Alex, if you ever see that man, or hear anything… _ANYTHING_… about SPECTRE, come directly to me or my father… If we aren't available… M."

She stood slowly and moved toward him, wrapping her arms around him. "Ok, Harry… I promise."

'Whoever this Blofeld was he must be bad news,' she mused as she held Harry a little tighter and felt his arms circle her waist. 'the way he went after that boggart… he only had one thought, he wants that man dead.'

He pushed back from her embrace. "Never underestimate them, any of them. He works with only the best, and failure is not tolerated within their ranks. They are all ruthless killers."

"Ok, Harry." It was evident from the way he had attacked the Boggart upstairs that he wanted the man dead more than he feared for his own life…

* * *

><p>James made his way through the pallets filled with office supplies, trying to stay within the shadows as much as possible. It had taken two weeks before a reply had arrived from London, along with a request that if an opportunity offered itself they should retrieve any data available within their target on the operation and requirements of this facial recognition system.<p>

That request made the planning of this operation paramount. Surveillance had led them to an out of the way supply depot. Evidently the two drivers that left from here had been doing it for a very long time and struck up some form of relationship with the guards.

They had watched them over the last four weeks, two deliveries a week Tuesday and Friday, they were like clockwork. They arrived at the depot no later than seven fifteen after picking up a truck from the dispatch station down the road, were loaded by eight, and arriving at their target just after nine.

They had timed each entry of the vehicle each time, this team spent less than half the time being searched compared to other vehicles, and to cap it off they had never once had their cargo checked. Whatever their relationship was with the guards in question, it offered them more than a little leeway.

That led them here for the infiltration phase. They had three different escape plans and a number of rally points set. If all else failed they would meet in Hong Kong.

Q had also included a few extras, and a more detailed explanation of how facial recognition was achieved. There were a number of flaws the Americans were still struggling with, and assumptions could be made on the Russian counterparts from both those and the observations made by Bond.

First the system was not automatic, each face must be captured manually and from directly in front of the target. The maximum amount of angle the American version was capable of at the moment was between twelve and fifteen degrees. Any more than that and the processing power of the computer increased dramatically, along with the complexity of the program. To combat this the Americans were working with a sub routine that could look at the profile of a person as well.

Second was that the facial mapping could be fooled by a range of things, sunglasses and hats being the most obvious, to some more subtle types of facial changes. Q, of course, had whipped up a couple of just such items and had sent them along.

The first was a pair small waxy plug looking things that slid into place at the back of the jaw. Once in place they lengthened the face slightly. The next were sets of appliances to be placed in such a way as to change the apex of the cheekbones in relation to the eyes and ears. These slid into place along the inside of the mouth. They were slightly uncomfortable and made them both talk oddly for a day or so until they were used to them.

In the end they had felt they had everything in order and would soon have their answers. He slipped through the door, leading the way deeper into the home of SMASH. Things were going swimmingly, the infiltration of the depot went off without a hitch so had their transport to the headquarters. Before anyone was the wiser they had secreted themselves away in the receiving bay, and watched as the pair of men did their job and another man checked the incoming inventory off on his clip board.

They had followed him as he made his way to his office after securing the bay door, then began their on site assessment. Anya had been helpful there, she had been in the building several times and had given him a general layout. They made their way past office after office headed all the time deeper and deeper into the building, using her knowledge to bypass the most heavily populated and traveled areas.

It took them better than an hour to reach their initial target, an unassuming room with the designation of 'Records' written in Russian. Once they were secured inside they set to work.

Some time later Anya got his attention from across the room. "James! I think I found it! It is a copy of the order sending his unit after you… Working on information obtained from asset codenamed Janus… The order was signed by…General Koskov."

James snorted. "Well no need to worry about him… He's dead. He was caught trying to use money your ex-bosses were trying to buy high tech weapons with on the black market to buy opium. It didn't work out too well for him…. We need to find more information on this Janus… He is the key."

They kept digging.

Finally James came across a file that gave a list of details and intelligence briefings that had been obtained from Janus. It wasn't until the fourth page that he began to see a pattern, one that made his blood boil! He knew Janus! He had even called the man friend… a brother… Alec Trevelyan… 006.


	87. Chapter 88

Once again I own nothing, so on with the show!

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**Chapter 88**

James took a sip of the scotch and felt the ice clink as he drained the glass of its contents. He shuffled the pages in front of him and passed a pair to his traveling companion. His mind was preoccupied with what he had found out during their look inside the headquarters of SMASH, his onetime friend and brother in arms was alive… and a traitor.

"James?" Anya asked. "You knew this man? The one they call Janus?" He had been uncharacteristically quiet from the point they had found out Janus's true name.

Though it had not been his quiet demeanor that unnerved her, it had been the cruel brutality he had exhibited in their ex-filtration. Once he had seen the name he began tearing the files apart looking for any information on both Alec Trevelyan and his code name Janus, spending much more time on it than they had original planned and ignoring her urgings to leave.

It wasn't until the guard patrol began to enter that he took any notice of anything else. When the door rattled he had ducked down behind one of the cabinets, only to reappear when the door swung open, silenced pistol in hand. Two shots thumped, two guards dropped, a bullet to each one's forehead. His voice had been cold, almost mechanical afterword when he told her to pull them inside and secure the door.

That was the way the rest of the mission continued, opposition was not avoided, it was faced with brutal efficiency and dispatched. Before that moment she had always thought of James Bond as the soft western spy, more interested in gaining information through deception, stealth, and seduction. Obsessed with his toys from his Q section, drink, and debauchery. This was not that man. This man was as cold as any killer ever produced in Mother Russia, both precise and deadly.

After they had made their way out of the base, in a stolen vehicle, James had taken them directly to the docks under the cover of darkness, and dumped the truck into the deep water. Then he led them to a freighter preparing to sail. The next night they were met by a blacked out zodiac that had pulled along side and they had been taken north. It was next morning when they arrived in Helsinki Finland and quickly boarded a jet bound for London via Germany.

James gestured with his glass at the flight attendant, clinking the ice as he did. She withdrew a bottle from behind the curtained area and walked over to refill his glass.

He took another sip, then set his drink on the small flat area between the seats. "He was a friend… I thought he was killed in 1986, on a mission. He was part of a team sent to destroy the Soviet chemical weapons facility, Arkhangelsk. It was thought he had been killed during the assault."

He shuffled the papers in his hands and handed her two more. "Evidently his death was a put up job, though the mission was completed by the rest of the… team. He was 006, at the time. Now, granted that I have not been able to go over everything and my summary is not complete, but it seems that when he 'died' he began working with some of the hard liners within SMASH. He became a link between them and their… less savory brethren, that entered into the criminal underworld."

He handed her another page. "He offered them a line of 'plausible deniability' on many actions both at home and abroad. Lord knows what information he brought them from our side… training, numbers, missions… informants. I'll get M to start checking and see if he has had contact with anyone within MI6 in the last few years… find out if there is a leak."

Anya looked over the pages, and nodded. "He was the reason Sergei and his men were sent after you?"

James nodded. "It was in one of the files, the man I was sent to meet had made the connection between Janus and SMASH. It didn't say if he knew his identity but he must have known something about him."

"So, they were sent in case he had somehow gotten a message through?" she asked.

He nodded. "Evidently. They must have thought you had stumbled on to his identity and they tried to 'retire' you, instead of taking the chance."

She pondered that for a moment. "No… it would have been simpler to try and liquidate me in the field… for some reason they need me to return… but why?"

James shrugged and turned his attention back to the paperwork. She was right… maybe they could find something to point to an answer.

* * *

><p>Narcissa stepped off the train onto the platform, smiling as she spotted her son standing next to the doorway into the main terminal, flowers in hand. She walked to him taking in the sight of him. He had grown and looked to be in better shape than the last time she had seen him over the summer. His blond hair was darker, and sun kissed.<p>

"Drake," She hugged him tightly. "It looks as if your time here is agreeing with you." She took the flowers. "Thank you, this wasn't necessary."

He brushed it off. "I'm just happy to see you. I'm glad you could come for the holidays… Are you able to stay through Christmas?"

She wrapped her arm around her son's shoulder as they walked. "I am, Sirius arranged for me to stay in a hotel in town… I plan to do a little sightseeing as well while you are in classes, and thought if you can get away for a weekend, we may go down to New York City, and see something on Broadway."

"That sounds nice, I'll need to speak with Mrs. Altamont about my schedule." He quieted, nervous about what he was about to suggest. "We were invited to Thanksgiving dinner Thursday… My friend Malcolm… we call him Mack, he and his family live in town and they have invited us to celebrate a 'real Thanksgiving' with his family."

She nodded. "If you would like to, that is very nice of them."

He nodded. "I would. They are good people."

* * *

><p>When the emergency call came in James was in his office, finishing a note to Harry. Minutes later he was standing in the operations room of MI6 looking at a wall of static filled monitors and trying to figure out what exactly had happened.<p>

"M, Bill. What happened?" he asked.

Something in Russia, some form of event," replied Bill while M looked on and technicians worked trying to get a handle on what ever chaos had occurred. "We've lost three geocentric satellites, covering most of western Russia and a large part of China."

One of the men in at a terminal called back, "Low orbit Satellite will be in range in 5… 4… 3… 2… Mark!"

The screens coughed as the static dispersed and images filled the screens. "The satellite will be over the affected area for approximately fifteen minutes."

M nodded, then addressed the room. "I want military and scientific installations verified first! Next power plants and distribution centers! Find what killed our systems!"

A man appeared next to M. "Their military chatter is elevated, we are reaching our saturation level."

She nodded again. "Do your best to sort it out, we need to know what happened!"

"We have a destroyed building! A suspected satellite control installation in Severnaya! Isolating image! Putting it on… screen two," said a voice from the front of the room.

M spoke to the two men at her side. "Short list of anything that could cause this?"

Bill sighed glancing over the preliminary readout that gave the approximate size of the effected area. "EMP… Only possibility."

James agreed quickly. "Yes. Given the size of the blackout area… upper atmospheric detonation… What was that?" He stepped forward, and yelled. "Screen two! Expand the view! Put it on the main monitor! The movement ! Isolate it!... What the hell is that?"

They watched as the object expanded, and a fuzzy shape took form moving quickly across the darkened landscape. It was a helicopter.

Bill looked as confused as James, how the hell was that thing working? Nothing else for a thousand miles had as much as a light working, and yet there was a fully functional helicopter speeding through the same area.

M muttered something under her breath then yelled, "TRACK THAT HELICOPER! I want to know where that thing is headed!" Hands started flying across keyboards trying to comply with the wishes of the head of MI6.


	88. Chapter 89

Sorry for the delay, I expect to be back on schedule now.

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**Chapter 89**

Hermione said her goodnights and made her way up the stairs to her dorm room, talked briefly with her roommates as she went about her evening routine, then made her way to bed. After drawing its curtains she slipped under the covers to ward off the chill and pulled a small notebook from a nook at the head of her bed and tapped it with her wand; writing began to appear as she flipped through the pages under the glow given off by the tip of her wand.

She stopped at a page near the back then tapped her wand again on what seemed to be a random blank page only to have a list appear under the heading of Harry. She read over the list again and added a few more notes, tonight's girls night had added a few new tidbits.

Handgun

Hidden compartment in trunk containing pistol and ammunition

Carries when not at Hogwarts?

Martial Arts Training

Highly trained?

Sue Li highly trained as well, but has said that he appears to have more training as well as experience.

Driving

Knows how to drive, at age 12!

Driven on many tracks in Europe.

Accidental meeting of families

My family and the Blacks (Harry's Godfather)

Abbot and Bones with Draco (Harry's Grandfather)

She tapped her pen on the page absently as she thought about the relationships between the families surrounding Harry, and turned to the next page with the heading of Bones.

Amelia Bones

Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Holder of Bones Proxy (Susan consulted)

Holder of Potter Proxy (Harry controls, she votes as he directs?)

Susan Bones

Heir to Bones name through her father Edgar.

Spent summer at Marc Ange Draco's compound in Spain.

She scowled as she finished writing that last bit if information. Susan had spent an entire summer with Harry's grandfather! Riding horses! Swimming! And worst of all she met and spent time with Harry's grandfather! Sue had learned more about his life in the few hours she had spent with the man than she herself had spending most of the summer around Sirius!

She sighed softly, that wasn't true. What she had learned had just been a different set of information. Unfortunately most of what she had learned, while about Harry, didn't include much of the personal variety.

She had, however, learned a lot about him and his relationship to the magical world. Chief of that was that he was also heir to the Black family, and she was a ward of both of his houses. That came with a crash course on wizarding culture for both her parents and herself… Then there was Luna…

That little... She had spent all summer living in his house! She had met and spent a large amount of the summer taking computer classes and running around with his MOTHER! And SISTER! Hermione didn't even know he _had_ a sister! She snapped the journal closed and threw it at the end of the bed. Damn it! How had she even managed to weasel her way into that?

* * *

><p>M ushered the two men into her office and gestured to the chairs across from her desk. She flipped a pair of switches and two video screens came to life as they were revealed from behind a pair of pictures. The first showed a picture of a helicopter, "This, gentlemen, is the prototype of a new euro produced helicopter, the EC 665 or Tiger."<p>

She typed a few commands and a list of vehicle specs appeared next to the photo. "It is a composite based stealth design, its primary role is close support/anti-tank. Standard armament is one 30mm GIAT 30 chain mounted cannon, fully articulated with 180° arc of fire, and a total of four other hard points. Two internal and two external, each mountable with a number of weapons ranging from gun pods to missiles. Range is 800km, with a top speed of 290km/h, slightly faster if it is not equipped with the sensor mast."

She tapped the keyboard again. "What sets this design apart however, is the fact that it is completely hardened to biological, chemical, and nuclear effects… it was stolen eight weeks ago…"

James grumbled as he stood, rounding her desk to get a better view of the listed specs. "Was it armed at the time?"

"It was." She pointed at the other screen as a video played, it was the helicopter being put through its paces in front of a crowd, presumably some form of dignitaries/buyers. "The pilot was found in the ready room, his ribs were cracked and he died of asphyxiation; his co-pilot was shot twice in the chest. The flight went as expected, except that instead of returning to the landing site as per planed, it turned out toward the sea and disappeared."

James shook his head. "Let me guess no sign of it until tonight?"

She nodded. "It was stolen in Monte Carlo right out from under several layers of security provided by both the German and French." She sat, typing and the picture of a man in uniform appeared. "Admiral Chuck Farrel, Royal Canadian Navy, he was also found dead, cracked ribs and died of asphyxiation."

She paused swiveling toward the picture. "His identification was used to gain access to the area." Her telephone rang. "Yes?"

She sat for a moment, listening intently. "Very well keep me informed."

She sat back in her chair lost in thought for a moment. "There seems to be a survivor of the attack on Severnaya, someone escaped the destruction of the base there."

Bill sat forward. "Do we know anything about that installation?"

M nodded. "We believe it is one of their satellite control centers, not one of their main facilities, a backup system."

Bill nodded. "Why would they target it then?"

M shrugged. "Unknown… they may have needed to access the system for some reason…" She turned to face James. "Bond, go talk to Anya. Her final mission was in Monte Carlo just prior to the theft. It is now imperative that we know what that mission was… and see if she knows anything about that installation."

* * *

><p>"Anya," said the voice, she tried her best to ignore it. "Anya, I know you can hear me. We need to talk."<p>

She chuckled as she rolled to her back and sat up, looking at the small screen that had appeared behind the mirror over the sink in her cell. "So... talk! It is not like I can stop you!" she snapped. "I thought we were past this James! After what we went through in St. Petersburg… I killed men… _Russians_… Just as you did! I can't go back there! Yet here I am… back in this cell! You promised me James! You would help me kill the man responsible! I can't do that from in here!"

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "And I'll keep that promise… if possible… but something has happened…" he paused, studying the angry woman for a moment, preparing to gauge her reactions to the news. "There was an EMP attack in Russia."

The woman's brows rose. "…where?" she asked.

James shrugged. "It seemed to be an upper atmospheric detonation in the northern area… We believe it was an attack on a satellite station at Severnaya."

A confused look crossed her face. "Severnaya?" she asked. He nodded. "Why?... and if it was an atmospheric detonation… how would you have identified that facility as the place attacked?"

He watched her closely looking for signs of deception. "We don't know why… as for the way we know… one of our low orbit satellites was able to be repositioned and we spotted something moving away from the facility… a helicopter…"

She looked stunned. "The Tiger…"

"You know about the Tiger?" he asked.

She pulled her feet up onto the bed and hugged her knees. "It was my last mission…" Her voice trailed off. "I was sent to gain access to it and its designs…"

"Not to steal it?" he asked.

"No…." she answered. "Though the possibility was spoken of… it was not worth the chance of an international incident… It was stolen, wasn't it?" James nodded. "An Admiral was killed…" He nodded again. "Canadian?" Another nod. "Chuck Farrel… He was a nice man… not the best at keeping secrets… but a nice man… lonely…"

She took a deep breath. "He would have been my target as well… I would not have killed him however… That is why they had me return… I have used him as a… source... several times. His position was not one I would have easily given up, his information has been too valuable. If the decision had been made to steal the helicopter then I would have avoided him and made other arrangements, he would have been the most direct rout… the least risk."

James pondered that a moment. It was true that such an important asset was valuable, extremely so, as this was an Admiral… and stealing the prototype was a much more hazardous operation than the information. Not only that, but reverse engineering the helicopter would be slower than using the classified construction information and designs.

"And you have no idea as to why that installation was a target?" he asked.

She looked lost in thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No… No actual information… just rumors."

He nodded again. "What are the rumors? Any bit of information may help us get a clearer picture."

She sighed. "Just speculations… but it is… was under the command of General Arkady Grigorovich Ourumov." She stood and began to pace. "Ourumov is in charge of several special projects, overseeing their operation as well as funding. There was a rumor that the installation was built for the control of something called Goldeneye… but it was found to be infeasible and abandoned, the building and equipment re-tasked to satellite control… but it was never removed from Ourumov's control."

James's brow furrowed. "And what was Goldeneye?"

She shrugged. "I thought it was a fanciful dream… a myth… but with what you have told me…" She sat heavily onto her bed. "A nightmare… It was… is a satellite based weapon… A satellite based EMP…."


	89. Chapter 90

**Once again, I own NOTHING! **

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**Chapter 90**

Harry sat up abruptly as he heard the second thump from the hallway. He knew for a fact it was not one of his roommates as Neville was too exhausted and sore from the evening of sparring and as for Seamus and Dean, they had spent the Saturday screaming their lungs out along with the living snore monster, Ron Weasley, at the Quidditch game (Hufflepuff v.s Gryffindor). Neville and he may have gone, but they were definitely more reserved, and did not partake in either the pre or post game revel (and they would skip the aftereffects of the stolen firewhisky in the morning as well).

A quick glance at his wrist told him that it was just after two in the morning, so slipping from his covers he moved to the doorway, slowed his breathing and listened for any sounds coming from the hallway. A grunt reached his ears, it was a familiar_ female_ grunt. One that, over the last few weeks, he had become quite familiar with. A smile spread across his lips, the girl was nothing if not persistent.

He slipped out of the door quietly and made his way toward the staircase leading down to the common room. Peeking out of the archway he saw her struggling her way along the banister hands braced along the opposite wall.

He moved forward and sat on the top stair without making a sound, then said in a voice just above a whisper, "I wonder how many detentions Professor Sinistra will assign when you fall and set off the alarm."

She jerked to look at him almost slipping, leaving her dangling precariously with one foot just above the steps. "HARRY!" she gasped, a worried look flashing over her eyes as her arm began to buckle. "H-help!"

He chuckled as he stood. "You got yourself into that mess..."

"HA-Harry! Please!" she gulped.

He stalked slowly down the stairs, making a show of watching her arms tremble. "Hmmm…. What's in it for me?"

"HARRY!" She hissed at almost a normal speaking level. "Help me!"

He sighed loudly. "Fine!" He stepped under her and let her clamber onto his back and carried her down to the common room, dumping her, without ceremony onto the first couch he reached.

"Hermione, what was so damn important to try something so…"

"Impetuous? Foolhardy? Insane?" she supplied looking down.

"Stupid!" He flopped into the chair across from her, so he could see her better in the dim light of the fire. "You have the potential to be one of the smartest people I have ever met, yet _that_ is the plan you come up with to bypass the stairs?" He shook his head. "Did you even give it any thought at all?"

Her head sprang up, aggravation plain on her face. "So how would…" Then she remembered he _had _managed it… during their first year… "The joke on the twins… you made it into the girls' dorm as a firsty… how?"

He leaned back, and laughed. "You didn't think about it did you?" He watched a moment as she fumed. 'Hey it was funny, and it may teach her a little something', he thought. "Hermione… think about it. Really think… what could I learn in the first few months here that could allow me... or any other boy for that matter, if they thought about it, to get around the stairs? Engage that amazing brain of yours, but don't come at the problem straight. Come at it from an angle, think outside the box... and don't over think it… remember the primary rule, K.I.S.S., **K**eep **I**t **S**imple **S**tupid. How would a firsty do it?"

Her nose crinkled, she hated it when he did this teaching thing. It was something he had been doing since they first met, little things at first. Little hints, slight nudges to get her and others to figure things out for themselves or correct an issue. An explanation always followed, of course, help to identify why it needed to be changed or done, but it was exasperating!

She stood and paced in front of the fireplace, discarding one idea after another. She stopped for a moment and took a deep breath, deciding that this path wasn't helping. Come at it from the side he had said… Ok, what had they learned up to that point? Potions wouldn't be any help (boil cures, and burn creams were no help)... Neither would Transfiguration (they didn't have the required power for things much larger than a tea cup) … History (that was just a ridiculous thought)… but Charms… That had possibilities, Charms was more about control, focus. Something Harry had in spades…

What had they learned in Flitwick's class before the… incident? Flame charm? No. Sticking charm? …Possibly. But casting, releasing and recasting could be an issue while climbing… No she finally decided, too much chance of a problem… She ticked through each spell one at a time, but kept coming back to one, the levitation charm, Wingardium Leviosa.

But how would it work? Cast it on your shoes? No… controlling two spells at a time would be too difficult. He'd need to stand on something… something that he could easily lift and carry once he was up stairs, but big enough and strong enough to stand on. She glanced around the room till they settled on an object. Perfect!

He could hardly keep from laughing as he watched her work the problem through, weighing possibilities and disregarding each in the barest of moments till she settled on a workable theory. Her head pivoted, as if searching for something till her eyes landed on a singular object sitting near one of the bookshelves, a small step stool.

She approached it as if gauging it, appraising it for the job at hand. She drew her wand and cast the charm he had expected at the stool. They both watched as it rose from the floor and moved as her wand tip directed, to a spot just below the stairway one that would be an easy step to her destination.

She steadied herself with her free hand as she stepped aboard and felt it dip slightly under the extra weight. Keeping her wand trained on the stool, she added power slowly, rising at a steady pace. She was beginning to sweat as she reached her destination and stepped off, and collapsed into Harry's arms.

She had been so focused on her task she had never noticed him following her using the stairs. When she managed to catch her breath and look up at him she saw his smile beaming down at her, one arm wrapped around her waist and the other holding the stool. "One small step for Witches," he said, "One giant step for Hermione Granger! How does it feel?"

She smiled back. "So that's how you did it!"

He nodded, "Yep, they give every first year the ability to defeat the collapsing and alarmed staircase… although it is not the only way to defeat it. I've figured out at least four more… without a broom."

She harrumphed at him. "Why doesn't everyone do that? Why bother with the trapped staircase?'

He shrugged. "I think it is mostly meant as a discouragement. Later years… it becomes more of the honor system… or it may be a possibility that few have thought of."

She didn't think that was the case… although it was something she hadn't thought about. He helped her gather her feet under her. "We need to get this," indicating the stool, "back downstairs, and you too." He turned his back to her. "Up you go."

She started to climb up, then stopped. "No. I came up here to talk to you." She stepped back a pace. "No more interruptions! I want answers."

He turned back around. "Answers? Answers to what?" She pulled out her notebook from under her robes, flipped to a page and handed it to him.

He sighed and used the Lumos, light spell, and began to read. She had a lot of the pieces, just the connecting dots seemed to be missing, but she was close. She knew something was hidden but still could not make out its shape. Some of what he read impressed him, evidently they had been a little lax in their security… who would have thought gossip among girls would yield that much information? "And this means?"

"Harry, I need to know what is going on!" she hissed. "My family is in the middle of… whatever this is. Our friends… your family… your Houses…. It all revolves around you, somehow! I-I want to know what's going on…" She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, crying quietly. "I-I want to help… You know you can trust me, your family magics assure that I can't betray you…" She looked up at him her eyes glistening with tears. "Please…"

He took a deep breath, "I-I'll think about it…" She buried her face in his chest. "I promise, I'll think about it…" She nodded. "In the meantime, I don't want you to speak about this to anyone… and no more writing your suspicions down." He pocketed the notebook. "Understood?" She nodded again. "Good let's get you to bed."

A few minutes later he was standing near the fireplace watching the notebook burn, a voice came out of the darkness. "Is she going to be a problem?" it asked.

"No… I don't think so." He turned to face the darkened corner. "How long did she try before I heard her?"

A shadow stepped away from the darkness, darkness receding from the shadow till Alex/Tonks appeared, dressed in her sleep attire. "She paced down here for almost an hour before she tried, for her first attempt I was fairly impressed. Her physical conditioning has come a long way thanks to you."

He smiled softly at that. She _had_ come a long way, really they all had.

Alex sat in a chair facing him, so she could see his face. "What are you going to tell her?"

He shrugged. "She has figured a lot of it out on her own, only a couple of pieces are missing for her to have a decent grasp of the situation, and I know from experience she will keep worrying the problem no matter what. She's like a dog with a bone."

She sat back and crossed her legs. "Do you think she can handle it?"

"Probably…" He looked toward the doorway that led toward the third year girls' dorm. "She is the smartest, and most driven of them…"

Alex sat forward. "And just what _is_ your plan for them?" she asked.

He gave her a jaunty smile. "Change has to start somewhere, why not here?"

She shook her head. "No, that's not it..." She looked into his eyes. "At least that's not all of it."

He took her hand in his and pulled her up. "Come on, you need sleep. Big day tomorrow, classes and all that."

They headed toward the base of the girls stairway, "Harry, have you heard from your father yet?"

He nodded. "He's back in London… The message was short, but it was good to hear that he was back."

She hugged him. "Good… so you'll be going home for Christmas?"

"Unless something changes, yes," he said stepping back.

* * *

><p>James sat at his desk, a fresh cup of coffee close at hand, reading over the report that had just been delivered to his desk. M, Bill Tanner and he had been trading off shifts to be sure someone was at hand the moment they had the survivor of Severnaya's whereabouts confirmed. They had been able to track the individual's general movements for a time, via satellite, south in a vehicle taken from inside a secondary building of some form. Possibly shielded by a something called a Faraday Cage, constructed inside the walls of the building itself.<p>

It had been a simple task to follow the only vehicle moving on the ground after that as the survivor made their way south. Agents were then dispatched to the most likely destinations, it was an all hands on deck type of situation, so all available personnel had been alerted and redeployed.

He had also been in contact with the CIA, MOSAD, and several other alphabet soup groups about the incident, feeling them out about what they knew about what had happened. Easier said than done, and after the tenth call he suspected only the Americans had any real idea what was happening, and that was because Felix had quietly passed him a name, Jack Wade.

He flipped open the file, Jack Wade, CIA, stationed in… St. Petersburg… Great…

* * *

><p>Dark eyes watched the man from the shadows; he had been following the human from just after he entered the village. The map that his Chief had supplied had worked flawlessly and one of the people on their watch list had finally appeared in Hogsmeade!<p>

A smile spread across the goblin's face, Severus Snape! One of the three targets he had been on the lookout for, his weeks sitting in this human village with his brothers had paid off finally! Unfortunately he would not be able to claim the kill, his mission was information only, unless the man made it into the castle. If that were the case then he was to feel the bite of a goblin made blade.

Snape had been under surveillance from the moment he had set foot inside the wards that surrounded the village. The map, one of the first produced and put into use, had showed his name at the edge of the boundaries just over twenty minutes ago. He had first made his way to Honeydukes, used his wand to enter through the back entrance, then gone down the stairs. He was only downstairs a few moments before reemerging and making his way down the alley.

The goblin chuckled, the passage that had led from the shop into the castle had been destroyed during their security sweep and improvements inside. Snape's next stop was within a family home, that passage would have allowed him entry on the fourth floor behind a mirror. Next was an abandoned building known as the Shrieking Shack, once again he exited thwarted, rage etched on his face.

His last stop turned out to be one of the shadier businesses in town, the Hog's Head Tavern. It was owned by Dumbledore's estranged brother, a man that as far as they had been able to discern had not spoken to his brother in over thirty years despite living as close together as they had. The briefing his Chief had given his brethren covering the mission had mentioned that the brothers had come to odds over the death of their younger sister. Aberforth, Albus's younger brother, had broken his nose at her funeral.

When Snape entered the goblin signaled his brethren he would enter as well. If there was a connection that they had missed and the brothers were associating it would be something his Chieftain would want to know. He made his way across the rooftop and into the upstairs, a bedroom as it turned out, then out into the hallway beyond and finally into the rafters above the bar itself.

Snape had made his way to the bar, ignored by the few bar patrons… or at least the one that was not passed out. He motioned to the man behind the bar. Aberforth didn't move. "You aren't welcome here. Get out."

Snape looked around. "Business is doing well enough to refuse…"

"Yours, or to be more exact my brother's money, is no good here. You have no business here." the grey haired wizard said.

Snape sneered at the man. "I don't work-"

Aberforth laughed, "Don't try and lie to me! You are no more free of him than you are of the mark on your arm." He pushed himself away from his seat and limped forward. "Get out Snape! You have no business here! This place is the one thing… _**the one thing **_in my life left that that man has not destroyed! His… infatuation with Gellert cost me my leg, my sister her mind, and eventually the lives of both her and my mother! The only reason this is left is because he deemed it beneath his notice…" His wand appeared in his hand. "Now get OUT!" A cutting curse smashed into the bar near Snape's hand.

Snape looked around the room quickly. "I'll remember how… helpful you were." With a sweep of his cloak he strode toward the door.

The goblin stayed where he was and continued to observe the younger Dumbledore brother as he sat back on the stool behind the bar, confident that one of his brethren would continue gathering information on the ex-potion instructor's visit.

He would need to report this… oddity to his chieftain. The man had come here for a reason, and they needed to figure out what that reason was.

**NOTE: Before anyone yells, the protection/alarm above is, probably, only on the girls stairs according to cannon, but it doesn't make sense for it not to be. (Besides my world, my rules.)**


	90. Chapter 91

**As before I own nothing!**

**READ! ENJOY! REVIEW! That is the only form of payment that a writer here will receive!**

**Chapter 91**

James sipped his coffee and looked up at the clock, 003 had been in St. Petersburg for a little over twenty-four hours. He looked back toward the phone on his desk, willing it to ring. He stood abruptly, desk chair rolling back into the wall, sitting here brooding wasn't doing anyone any good. He needed to do something to keep his mind busy. He knew Jackson Howell, 003, was a good man. He trusted him to get the job done.

'The gym?' he thought, as he secured the paperwork on his desk. 'I could use the exercise.'

He was just about to walk out his door when it opened and a young woman stepped in, "Commander? A message for you." She handed him a tamper proof package. "Have a good evening."

He disabled the charge and opened the canvas bag. Inside was a letter from Croaker along with the final report on the project codenamed Cloak. He shook his head, that mission had been a disaster. Not only had they lost good men on what should have been a simple mission, but unless this report said something different, they had learned next to nothing about the target, the dementors.

He sat back in his chair, as he flipped past the pages. He started on the summary page.

I) Only known control for dementors.

A) Containment Ward: Rune based, boundary system.

1) Test of Boundary seals, obtained by agent Strider, also seem effective.

B) Command Stone: Enchanted stone, allows communication/command.

II) Only known personal defense for dementors.

A) Patronus Charm: Spell. Difficult to cast, person needs extreme mental fortitude to be able to cast in presence of dementor.

III) Conclusions.

A) All future Unspeakables be trained to cast Patronus Charm.

B) Agents Strider and Glenda learn soonest.

C) Research of Containment Wards and Boundary Seals must be a high priority to defend priority personnel.

D) Research of Control Stones Ongoing:

1) Creation of new stones impossible at this time due to theft of research from DoM.

He flipped through the remaining pages, scanning each in turn, then slammed the folder onto the table. It had been just as he expected, other than the possibility of the Boundary Seals, they had nothing new!

Of the few Unspeakables they had, only two had the ability to place the Containment Wards, and only one of them had actual experience doing so, as such that had become their full time assignment at the moment.

He slowly unfolded the letter that had accompanied the file. At least that held some good news, Harry and Alex were well on their way to casting their Patronus. According to Croaker they both could create the shield form, the first stage, with each casting.

Alex was able to partially form her corporeal version, no definitive shape was identifiable as of yet (that would be a significant step toward the completion of the spell). He expected her to be able to completely cast the charm shortly after the holidays.

Harry on the other hand, was showing signs of becoming frustrated with his lack (his perception, not actual fact Croaker noted) of of progress. He was able to produce 'blobs' upon casting, but further progress had been slow.

Croaker had gone on to say that he was concerned about Harry exhausting himself with repeated castings. He would push himself to the edge of exhaustion every session, to the point Alex was beginning to be concerned as well.

James sat forward and placed the letter in the secure compartment of his desk, he'd give that some thought in the near future. He secured the report back into the tamper proof case and made his way out of his office.

* * *

><p>The Range Rover rolled to a stop at the end of a long drive framed on each side by stone pillars each crowned with tarnished bronze stags. Etched into the stone below the one on the right was one word, Skyfall.<p>

The driver grunted at the three men in the car, "This is it. Out!" He then reached to turn up the heat, as the men complied.

Ted Bell slid out of the vehicle, his feet crunching on the inch or so of fresh snow, zipped his coat shut and pulled his hat down over his ears. The wind cut through him like a knife, sending a chill through him as he looked out beyond the gates and down the lazy path of the drive. It was hauntingly beautiful, trees and slow rolling hills sat beyond the moor all coated in a thin layer of snow. A lake spread to the left of what seemed to be an old manor home.

"Don't just stand there! Shut the bleed'n doors!" yelled the driver.

He pushed the door shut and two other 'thunks' followed. The trio retrieved their bags from the back. No sooner was the hatch closed than the Range Rover made a tight circle and drove back the way they had come.

They stood for a few moments looking at each other, all with the same question, what now?

As if in answer they heard a buzz coming up the drive, a man riding some form of small, bright red, four wheeled vehicle. It sputtered to a stop just in front of them and the man stepped off. He was dressed in dark colors, other than his bright red knit hat.

He walked up, eyes as hard as steel boring into them. "Good morning gentlemen, my name is David Granger. Welcome to Skyfall. This will be your home for the next six weeks! While you're here I will be your commander, you will obey any order I give without question! Hand over your wands!" He looked them over, as they slowly complied. This was going to be fun!

"Grab your gear, and hoof it, breakfast will be on the table for the next twenty minutes. If you miss it that is your problem." He swung his leg back over the saddle of the vehicle, it roared to life. "MOVE IT LADIES!"

David smiled as he parked the four-wheeler and strode inside. Crossing to the fireplace he pushed down on the mantle which slid away revealing a safe. He dumped the wands inside and set the time lock for five weeks. "Let's see how they get along without their toys." he said to himself, as he made his way to the living room where he peered out the window with his binoculars, making note of his new recruits' progress.

One of them had made it past the first bend, Coach… Robert Coach, if memory served. He kept a steady if lopsided gait due to his decision not to use the shoulder straps on the duffle they had supplied.

The other two moved at a slower pace, the one on the left… Ted Bell he reminded himself, seemed to be keeping up an almost constant stream of encouragement toward the older man next to him, Jason Park.

So, Bell exhibits some team skills, Park needs physical work and Coach seems to be a loner… Well you've got to start somewhere.

* * *

><p>Sirius was sitting with his feet propped up on the edge of his desk, flipping through the pages of legislation he would propose during the next meeting of the Wizengamot, when a voice roused him from his thoughts. "If Cissy saw you sitting like that she'd have your head."<p>

He chuffed, and wiggled his feet. "I'm not afraid of her!" he said smiling at Amelia.

"Really?' she said an evil grin spreading across her face. "O-Oh Dilllll!" The little elf appeared next to Amelia; Sirius's feet were immediately on the floor as he sat up. She started laughing, "The look on your face! Dill? Please join us for a few minutes." She walked around the edge of the desk and gave Sirius a quick kiss, as they moved to the sitting area.

"Dill?" Sirius asked, "How is Dobby?"

"Dobby is doing well." she said proudly. "He is almost fully recovered from what bad master has done to him." She had almost been despondent when she had seen the state her son had been in when the last of the Malfoy's possessions were put up for sale.

"That is nice to hear." He took a deep breath then began. "I know Dobby is anxious to get back to work."

The little elf nodded. "That he is Master Sirius, he wishes to help you and Master Harry any way he can."

Sirius chuckled. "Yes, well, I'm sure that is much appreciated… Is he well enough to pop here yet?"

She nodded again. "Dobby can!"

Sirius smiled again. "Excellent! Dobby!"

With a loud 'pop' another elf appeared. One ear drooped at the end and was missing the tip, a ragged burned area showed where it had been torn off. "Master Sirius called Dobby?" They jumped at the sound

"Dobby!" his mother scolded, "Your popping is too loud! I taught you better than to startle master and miss."

Sirius snickered. "Don't be too hard on him Dill, I believe he was just excited to be called." The little elf nodded wildly. "Yes I did call you. Are you feeling well enough to take up a position for Harry and I?"

He nodded again, "Yes!"

"Very well then." He gestured to Amelia. "This is Amelia Bones. You will need to answer her calls as well." He kneeled in front of the small elf. "Now this will be an unusual order, so listen closely." Another nod. "Ok, Harry is at Hogwarts, and Dill is here to help take care of me. So there is no need to worry about us. Ok?"

The small elf looked sad but nodded. "What I do have for you is very important to Harry." The little elf perked up. "You can come in now." Three men walked into the room. "Dobby, this is Algernon Croaker, Alastor Moody, and… well you can call him Mr.Q. You are going to be working for them till Harry or I tell you otherwise, understood?"

The little elf nodded. "Now, there will be no punishing yourself. If something is wrong or you think you have done something wrong you will find one of them and explain. Understand?" Dobby nodded. "Good they will show you where you will be working from now till Harry or I say different later. You and your mother may go."

The pair of elves popped away with next to no sound. Sirius sat back in his chair and took Amelia's hand. "Cleaning and procurement are his only duties? Correct?"

Q nodded. "Yes, he will be most helpful in obtaining certain raw materials and other items from your community for testing. House elves are all but invisible among the magicals, and nothing will be thought of him buying the items we request."

Croaker chuckled. "True, and his cleaning duties will be greatly appreciated."

Sirius sighed. "Good, as long as it is nothing that can see the little guy hurt, understood? Cissy is really protective of both of them… she thinks of them as family. She'd kill me if something happened to them after getting them out from under Malfoy's thumb."

"Treated them bad, did he?" Moody asked.

"Yes." Was all he had to say about it. "And you understand this is just until Harry is out of school, he will need Dobby when he is done."

Croaker chuckled again. "Indeed, we will have other options in place by then."

* * *

><p>James watched as Anya sat up. "Good morning, we have a line on Janus and Goldeneye."<p>

She stood taking in her new surroundings; they had moved her while she slept. This seemed to be an infirmary. "I assume this means we are going after him?"

"It does," he said flatly. "Get into the change of clothes on the table, we have just over an hour to make our flight to Miami."

"Miami?" she asked absently, as she inspected the clothing. A pair of well-made grey wool slacks, cream colored sleeveless blouse, along with a light weight grey jacket. The accessories were understated yet classic. Not too bad in her opinion, functional, businesslike. She began to change.

"That's our first stop. From there we will need to head to Cuba. A small plane is being arranged for us as we speak," he said.

"And we will fly there from the States?" she asked.

"We will need to cover more ground than we could on foot, our information is that there is a hidden satellite control station there. Do you know anything about something like that?"

She shook her head. "Again only rumors… Rumors of one in the process of being built during the late sixties, but like many projects thought to have been just that, rumors. If it is there it will be somewhere remote, possibly in the mountains," she said, slipping into her blouse.

He nodded. "That is what our people believe. We will be meeting with the survivor of the strike at Severnaya, they will give us whatever information they have, then we will proceed from there." He placed a box next to her. "It's not what you normally use but I think you'll like it."

She flipped open the box and pulled out a pistol. While she checked it over he continued, "Glock 23, it's a little bit heavier than the 19 and has a modified slide and frame. Chambered for the 40 S&W, fifteen round magazine." He gestured to the other pistol. "For those more subtle times, the Glock 27, again chambered for the 40 S&W, nine round magazine, though it can use the one from the 23 as well. Both will accept silencers, they're in the box as well, as are your knives."

She pulled out one of the thin blades. "Good!" She turned to face him. "Miami?" He nodded. "Cuban food does sound nice for dinner."

He smiled. "And I have just the place in mind."


	91. Chapter 92

**NOTE: There is a post note at the end of the chapter explaining why the chapter reads as it does. Please read it _before commenting!_**

**On that note, it is that time of year for my family, VACATION! Therefore the next installment will be delayed two weeks, wile I adhere to the no computer rule that I agreed to.**

**So, With out further Adieu, on with the Show!**

**As always, I own nothing! **

**READ! ENJOY! REVIEW! Because that is the only form of payment any writer on this site expects.**

**Chapter 92**

James finished his walk around of the Piper PA-18S Super Cub, it may not look like much but it was a hardy little craft. It was light weight, tough, had a reputation for very short take off and landing distances, and (according to Felix) was easily adaptable to the type of mission they were about to attempt.

Felix dropped the cases he had taken from the car next to the plane. "Remember, stay below 300ft. I've arranged for a two hour window along the path marked on the maps. You won't have a squawk other than your emergency beacon or emergency radio."

James nodded as he unpacked the cases and stowed the equipment inside the plane. "Just be sure the cavalry is ready."

"Oh they'll be ready. You can count on that! We just can't make a move without proof." Felix headed back to the car while James worked.

Anya was studying the maps on the hood of the BMW trying to narrow down and refine their search. "Any luck?" he asked.

She shook her head, "Nyet…" She adjusted the straight edge on the map and drew a line. "We always assumed your surveillance on Cuba was more… stringent…" she remarked flipping through the photos again.

He chuckled. "Limited resources… we can't cover everything… yet…"

"Da!" She plucked another possibility from the pile and added it to the stack. "We were much the same, misinformation given to the enemy is just as powerful as information gathered from them."

"Did you get anything useful from the girl?" he asked, looking at the sleeping person in the back of the car.

"Da," she answered as she checked a couple of figures, then drew another line. "She has been in contact with one of the other programmers, Boris Grishenko, that let her narrow down the search area by quite a bit. She is quite knowledgeable about the system requirements and equipment as well… James wishes to have her accompany us."

Felix nodded. "He figures that knowledge will be useful."

"Da." She punched a few numbers into the calculator, then looked at it accusingly. "But taking her is also rife with problems, she is an unknown."

"Mmm…" he replied, "but it may give great dividends. This ain't his first rodeo."

She sighed. "I'd rather not need to look after a… civilian."

* * *

><p>The engine continued its constant drone as they passed over the mountainous jungle below. Their passenger, Natalya Simonova, had proved to be a font of information about not only the type of installation they were looking for and the type of equipment that would be necessary, but insight into the Goldeneye project as well.<p>

The entire system was designed to be a precursor to a nuclear first strike, however it was one destined from the beginning to be impractical. The initial design was for several small satellites to be deposited into orbit, each with an effective blanket zone of about eight hundred miles. Once they were in place they could be detonated at once, allowing for a first strike with relatively little reprisal.

By the time the project had begun to bear fruit, it had been deemed an unworkable scenario and the project was scrapped. Unfortunately, two of the weapons had been deployed and they needed to be monitored at all times. This led to the installation's conversion to a secondary satellite control center and her subsequent stationing.

The people placed there were among the best computer programmers available, most with no formal training in the field, in short self taught 'hackers'. The man she had been in contact with, Boris Grishenko, who fancied himself the self styled king of the group, was the lead programmer for the system. While she 'merely' worked on the satellite redeployment systems, something he seemed to take great joy in reminding her about.

The most important information she had at the moment was about the antenna they were on the lookout for, which needed to be a dish form, directional antenna. As they had flown on conversation had slowly ceased.

James referred to the map in Anya's hand and pointed at the turn she had marked, she looked down quickly, nodded and returned to her vigil looking out the window. He was just making his turn when an impact shook the plane. The yoke jerked in his hand as he fought for some semblance of control his while his eyes scanned the canopy below for someplace to put the wounded plane on the ground without killing them in the process.

The plane shook as the canopy began to brush its underside, the screech of wood across metal filling the cabin. All at once James lost the battle, the plane pitching nose first into the jungle, slamming hard through the foliage, coming to rest below in a mangled heap of parts and steam.

* * *

><p>Croaker sat down across the small table from Q and took a sip from his cup of tea. "How is the retrofitting of the new Department coming?" he asked, beginning their weekly meeting on overall project management.<p>

Q smiled slightly. "It will be complete ahead of schedule, unless something unexpected arises. Mr. Gold's people are really quite skilled and I expect you to be pleased. The deep storage vaults you requested will be available for your inspection by mid February. The rest will come on line in sections about every other month, you should be able to be completely moved before the end of the year."

Croaker nodded. "Good, good…" He looked up from his cup. "Q, can I ask you something?" Taking Q's shrug as a yes he continued. "Does it ever get to be too much for you?"

Q's brow quirked, Croaker continued. "Q, I… What I'm learning about the outside world is… it's bloody terrifying! Your world… it's changing so quickly…" His voice trailed off.

Q nodded. "Indeed, and you have so much more pressure because you are trying to assimilate it all at once, years of missed technology and advancements. Jumping from gaslight to electronic age in one fell swoop."

He sighed. "It's more than just that… It's the scale of the things. Until a few months ago I was just concerned with _my_ research, I didn't even concern myself with the majority of what went on within the borders of the magical world. Let alone the normals… Truth be told, I didn't see much outside my own department… and now…"

It had taken him a moment but now Q understood, while the technology was daunting it was not the entirety of the issue. "And now you see a much wider view of the world."

He nodded. "And the stakes are so much higher than I suspected… Our very existence is threatened, not as magicals but all humanity, every day! How do normal people deal with the knowledge that all it would take is one push of a button…"

It was Q's turn to sigh. "That… That is something that is difficult to explain… For most, that thought rarely crosses their mind, it's not that they don't know about it, but rather that they don't dwell on it. That threat has been a part of their lives for many years, and if they let their fear of it control them, or their lives, then they would get nowhere." He sipped his tea, then continued. "Fortunately for them, they never need know how close they have come to that fate."

"So they just put it out of their minds?" he asked.

"For the most part." He paused to figure out how he wanted to continue. "They don't need to confront it on a daily basis, it is on the periphery of their consciousness, they don't let it consume them."

Croaker thought about it for a few moments. "And how do you handle knowing about some of the things you do?"

Q's eyes hardened. "We are on the front lines, we work in the shadows but our agents are definitely in the vanguard of that line. I place my faith in the men and women that have chosen to be there, be they police, soldier, or agent. If they can face that danger, the least I can do is support them. If that means facing some of the more fear inducing things in this world so be it. I have to take solace in the fact that both they and I have done our best. It was something I had to learn to make peace with, and I expect that is something you will need to learn to do as well."

That had given Croaker a lot to think about.

* * *

><p>James stood, hands on his head, looking at his one time brother in arms Alec Trevelyan, Janus. He had listened to the man's tirade about how they both had been used. Chosen because they were orphans, expendable, trained to think of Queen and country before themselves, how his family was a Cossack clan that had sided with the Nazis and how that had been hidden from him and later used against him denying him his rightful place! James had only half listened to him and his mad ramblings, just enough to keep the man and his goons' attention. Hoping Anya and Natalya were using the distraction he had provided.<p>

He had separated from the pair as soon as he had made sure they both were conscious, and led the incoming guards on a merry chase down the mountainside toward the lake below. As he dodged his pursuers he had beheld an amazing sight, the lake had drained as he approached revealing the antenna they had been searching for, built into the floor of the lake itself. A cable driven focal point shifted out of a hidden doorway and rose into position overhead.

In the end his merry chase had led them through much of the underground facility till they had arrived near the control hub. Once there James had hidden near tanks filled with liquid nitrogen till Alec himself had appeared, along with several additional guards. Outnumbered he had 'surrendered', though he did leave a small gift hidden beneath one of the tanks.

Even after the long winded explanation, including how the pulse was going to be used to erase all the electronic records within the Bank of England after he has 'robbed' it electronically plunging England into economic ruin James still had one major question; why now? He was doing far more damage to them by working with their enemies. He had the ability to compromise nearly all of their future operations at his finger tips. What had made this the priority?

Revenge? That didn't make sense. He was doing more damage to their country by way of information! Yes it would be a devastating blow, globally, but this was an all or nothing gamble. Something that the Alec he had known would never have taken, not with the things that James had seen in St. Petersburg at his fingertips. The risk just didn't match the reward, even if it was purely about revenge.

Then there were his backers, the people that put up the money and equipment for this little endeavor, presumably the Russians (or at least the hardliners) what did they get out of this? Economic chaos? Probably. Was this a chance for them to assert themselves within their current government during the upheaval it would cause? Possibly.

At the moment that didn't matter, that was a question for the future, at the moment this little plot needed to be stopped. It was time for another distraction. Moving slowly James depressed a pair of studs on the side of his watch causing the gift he had left upstairs to explode with a tiny 'pop'.

Within two minutes alarms started wailing as the cooling systems began to fail, Alec spun toward his computer expert and started demanding answers. The man's hands ran over the keyboard, only for him to slam his fists down on the console.

"I am locked out of the system!" He spun toward Bond. "How did you do this?"

James shrugged, "Did you try unplugging it?" he asked with a smirk.

Alec forcibly spun the chair so he was facing the terminal. "What is happening?"

Boris's fingers danced on the keyboard. "I've been locked out of the guidance and control system! He can't be alone! It is the woman, Natalya! She is here someplace!" He stopped typing and looked around.

"You fix it!" Alec shoved the man's head down. "We'll take care of her."

It was at that moment James moved; his right elbow flew up and connected with the guard just behind him. Before anyone could react the guard's rifle was in his hand, and automatic fire stitched its way across the room and he was on the run.

* * *

><p>Anya had just finished her sweep of the rooms Natalya had led them to. The girl had babbled about how she was going to disable the system and destroy the satellite, now that she had access, but little of it made sense. Although she was glad the girl had found a way to destroy the damn thing.<p>

She guarded the girl as she worked, minutes passing with an agonizing slowness as she waited for her to finish. After what felt like an eternity it was done and Anya began leading Natalya back along their track. Reaching an intersection she turned to the young woman. "Take this." She handed her the smaller pistol, and pointed down the hallway. "That will lead you out the way you came. Head up the mountain once you are outside and hide where you can see the entrance. If James or I have not found you in the next three hours follow the river down to the coast. You will find civilization soon."

The girl nodded, and headed off. Anya turned around and headed back as an alarm began to sound.

* * *

><p>Bullets rang off the walls behind him as James stormed up a ladder. Once up he slammed the hatch closed behind him and locked it, then scanned the room. At some point during their battle they had made their way to the focal point's rigging. This was <em>not<em> a place he wanted to be during a gun battle!

It was too open, the few walls were thin, and the cover was sparse at best. He ran across a catwalk and out of a door only to find himself on a thin walkway suspended directly over the dish. Its cables swayed as he moved and taking a deep breath he began to retrace his steps.

A loud grinding sound drew his attention back to the walkway, the focal point was moving! If they could reacquire the satellite it could be reprogrammed! He made a quick decision and ran up the walkway.

If Boris was able to lock on and regain control all of this would be for nothing!

* * *

><p>Anya rounded the corner into the control room. Fires littered the area from sparks that were cascading from some place up above. A voice rang out from across the room "I am <em><strong>Invincible<strong>_!" Only to be punctuated by a crash from above and a cascade of liquid and steam that coated the man. A second later a blast of cold pushed her from the room as what she now recognized as liquid nitrogen rushed across the floor. She ran back the way she had come.

* * *

><p>James had managed to jam the gears on the focal point before Alec had caught up to him; the fight had carried them out onto the central antenna where they had fallen to its base. James looked up to see Alec above him, fire blazing in the man's eyes as he stomped on one of the support wires. The tenuous hold James had lessened as his hand slipped.<p>

"Goodbye James!" Alec pulled his foot back for a final kick.

A spray of red erupted from Alec's chest and he stumbled as a confused look crossed his face. "Who?" he asked as his fingers brushed the hole that had appeared in his torso. The fire that had been in his eyes flickered as he stumbled again, then fell to the dish below.

Panting as he scrambled back up into the antenna, James looked in the direction the shot had originated from. Anya stood with her rifle at the entry way to the base below.

**Post Note:**** I wanted to get out of the movie Goldeneye without spending much time, so this chapter just touches on the highlights and necessary differences.**

**For those wondering it was included for both reasons of timing and story. It came out in the correct year and could be used for plot points that will come to light at a later date, please be patient.**

**And another Note: ****Someone asked about the pistols James gave Anya in the last chapter and I sent the reply to the wrong person, so here is the explanation to why they were not Walther's, they wont be available for about sixteen months late 1986. Even then they won't be tested and accepted for use for another nine months past that. The interchangeable clips are also a bonus.**


	92. Chapter 93

**And I'm back from a very restful vacation! **

**I don't want to delay much longer so…**

**A big thanks to the amazing pazed for being my beta! **

**And as always I own nothing!**

**READ! ENJOY! REVIEW! Because that is the only form of payment any person that writes expects, or receive, for the stories we do!**

**Chapter 93**

James slammed the preliminary report on the table, anger getting the best of him. The team put together by Felix had been as thorough as time had allowed, in and out of the installation within two hours, packing out every bit of information and any equipment they could. Only then had the sappers done their job and made sure the installation was completely destroyed.

And while Goldeneye was no longer a threat, and the detonation of the last warhead had only done minimal damage in comparison to the estimated scope of what could have happened had it detonated over the intended target, it still had done considerable damage. Damage that, at the moment, he figured only a chosen few knew the actual impact of.

He pondered the single set of names he had recognized from the list, ones that were seemingly insignificant, just another group of communications satellites like so many others circling the earth, the ACST, Advanced Communications Technology Satellite System. The very system that he himself had investigated along with Pat after the death of Mark Grant, the current 002's predecessor. Two of the group had been rendered useless by the close proximity of the warhead's detonation and EMP, a third damaged significantly. How much this hindered the system he didn't know but he figured this would set the project back significantly, leaving large holes in the surveillance of magical trafficking inside the US.

He picked up the phone and dialed a number on a secure line. "Copper," a voice said from the other end of the line.

"Bond here, this is a secure line," James said. "We need to meet. I'll be in Miami tonight… I'll be bringing company. Two people. They'll need to be read in. Garcia's 9 o'clock."

"Bond I don't have tim-" Copper replied.

"I know how you lost your satellites," he said flatly.

There was a short pause. "Nine, you tell me what you know, then we'll see if _I_ think your people need to be read in… you're buying." With a click the line went dead.

* * *

><p>The trip home for the holidays on the Hogwarts Express was uneventful. After saying their goodbyes, Harry, Hermione and AlexTonks headed toward the exit to Kings Cross proper, only to be joined by Luna and Susan as they did so.

"Umm… Susan? Luna? Don't take this wrong…" Hermione said, "but aren't you going to floo home?"

Luna just smiled, as she said, "Why would I do that? It would be hard to get where I'm going if I missed my connections." Then she skipped through the portal.

Hermione then looked at Susan, confusion etched on her face. "Don't ask me?" she said, then continued, "Auntie is going to meet me just outside the portal. We are going to dinner someplace in London."

Hermione nodded, as they began to file through.

Just outside a group of smiling adults met them. As Harry stepped through he was greeted with, "Pup! It's good to see you!"

Harry's grin widened. "Sirius! How are you, you old dog?" he said as they shook hands, Harry then being pulled into a manly hug.

In short order greetings were being passed around between the Granger parents and Amelia as well, leaving only two teens outside the family greetings, Alex/Tonks and Luna. They all made small talk as they headed toward the main exit. After giving Harry a bone crushing hug, Hermione and her parents split off to walk to the car park. The others headed to the taxi area.

As they stood in the queue Amelia asked, "Luna? How is your father?"

Luna, who had been inspecting the Christmas lights and garlands, turned and smiled. "He is well, thank you for asking! I got a letter from him just before we left school for the Hols. He was someplace in Africa…" She dug into her small beaded purse, arm disappearing to mid forearm. "Mbam et Djeerem… in Cameroon," she read then placed the letter back into her purse. "He says the people are nice, and the food is good… but a little spicy for his tastes."

Amelia looked shocked at the news, "Then he won't be picking you up?"

The young girl looked at her and rolled her eyes, "Of course not, that would be a long trip just to see me for an evening."

Sirius and Amelia glanced worriedly at each other, before Sirius asked. "Then you are going to be home alone for the Hols?"

She chuckled lightly, as she wrapped her right arm around Harry's left. "No, I'll be with Harry."

Confused looks all turned toward Harry, whose eyes had grown as large as dinner plates. He glanced at Luna then toward the rest of the group. "Your guess is as good as mine!"

* * *

><p>David Granger smiled as he sipped his tea. Off in the distance he could just make out a small light and glancing down at his watch he nodded to himself. They weren't doing that badly, twelve hours had been his estimate, they just could beat that by about half an hour if they could keep a decent pace over the moor… well unless they chose the wrong way around the lake. Then they might be a while.<p>

He chuckled as he walked back over to the stove to check on dinner, a hearty stew, and went through his plans for the next few days. They were doing well with their dead reckoning navigation exercises, this had been their second full day excursion, and he figured the next exercise should combine their navigation and survival training, a good three day jaunt in the wilderness. Then if they lived up to expectations, he'd let them go home for the holidays.

Walking back to the window he picked up a set of folders and sat so he could watch their progress for a while. Flipping the folder open he started going over the personnel files inside. Each man had been thoroughly vetted and chosen for their connection to someone magical, be that person living or deceased (how that information was gathered he had no clue, but somehow they had managed it). Each man brought something to the table as it were, a sniper, a weapons expert, a demolition man and a hand to hand specialist.

The thought was to have two man buddy teams formed, one magical one non, each focused on a certain roll within the unit. Unfortunately for the moment (something he had been assured was being addressed) they had only three magical operators and it was going to be up to him to figure out how to best utilize the people they did have. When he looked back up toward the window the light was much closer, He glanced at his watch and saw he had been lost in thought longer than he had realized. Flipping the folder closed he stood and placed it back in its hiding place, then made his way back to the stove.

Yes a day's rest, with light PT and equipment maintenance, then a three day survival and navigation training mission, then home for the Hols and see if they kept up their PT on their own. The others would arrive on the 14th so if he had them back on the 7th he could make sure they were physically ready and had begun their evasion training.

* * *

><p>Ragnarok looked up from his paperwork as a knock garnered his attention. "Enter!" he called as he went back to the ledger and made a few more notes, listening to the person enter as he did so. He decided to finish the page to test the person's patience.<p>

Other than the occasional shuffle, which was to be expected as it was his first time being called to the office of the head of the bank that employed him, the person didn't make a sound. He let him stew a few minutes longer as he checked his figures, the person just stood quietly and allowed him to finish.

When he had reached the end of the page for the third time, he looked up. "Ah, Mr. Weasley." He made a show of digging through the paperwork on his desk before sitting back and looking over a file. "You have been with us for…" He flipped a page, "four years. You graduated at the top of your class from Hogwarts, along with being Head Boy."

The red headed man nodded, as he continued. "You started as an intern with our Cursebreakers… right out of school?" Again the man nodded. "So… you had both Runes and Arithmancy when you attended Hogwarts."

For the first time the man spoke. "Yes, sir."

Ragnarok flipped through another page then picked up his pen and made another note. "You have spent most of your time in Egypt and the surrounding area since then?"

"Yes, sir," he replied nervously.

"And how did you feel about your education when you began? Did you feel sufficiently prepared?" he asked making another note.

Again the man nodded. "In some cases, there was still a lot to learn." He appeared to ponder things for a moment. "My grounding in Runes was more solid, the Arithmancy being used by the Cursebreakers was more advanced than most of the things we had covered, but the basics I had were sound."

The Goblin Chieftain used the time he answered to take the measure of the man before him. His hair was long and drawn back into a ponytail, and a dragon tooth hung from the lobe of his left ear. He wore the dragonhide clothing of a Cursebreaker, customized as was their custom, as a long trench style coat, breeches, and boots, his gloves tucked into a loop of his belt.

According to his peers, he was highly intelligent, innovative and inquisitive, while at the same time being careful and methodical, a credit not only to the young man himself but to his trainers as well. He had earned the attention of the Master Breaker, Vaultbreaker, second in command of all of Gringotts workers under Vaultcrusher.

Ragnarok nodded. "And if you had to judge your own skill today?"

The look of nervousness increased. "I have made full Cursebreaker… but I feel there is still a lot to learn."

Ragnarok smiled, with no teeth showing. "There is always more to learn young Breaker, much more!" He shuffled the papers, placing them in a drawer. "Sit, Mr. Weasley." He motioned to one of the chairs.

He did as ordered, and sat in one of the well appointed leather chairs facing the chieftain's desk. "Mr. Weasley… William. I have received a job offer for you, one that would affect your continued employment here at Gringotts."

Now nervousness had been replaced with confusion within the mind of the young Cursebreaker. A job offer for him? Not for a team of Cursebreakers? "I'm not sure I understand sir… I was requested? For a job? Why not a team?"

The smile returned to the face of the chieftain. "No, it was not for you specifically, but you do fit the qualifications requested. Unfortunately until you make your final decision I am afraid that any information I can give you will be sparse, other than some generalities and, of course, your salary."

The young man nodded slowly, and Ragnarok continued. "This would be a long term undertaking, with substantial opportunities to test your abilities and expand your skills. You would be expected to also learn new skills as well. As for compensation," He wrote a figure upon a slip of paper and slid it across the table to him. "That is your starting rate, you can expect increases, depending on performance, of around 8% annually, as well as bonuses and hazard pay as necessary. That is monthly, as we pay monthly here, for easy comparison."

He leaned forward and took the sheet of paper off the desk and looked at it. It was almost double what he had made in his best month in the last year even with the bonus of a full share of what they had recovered! "But sir… What about my team? And my contract with Gringotts that covers the cost of my training, that still has another three years."

Ragnarok waved off his concerns, "Arrangements can be made if you choose to pursue this opportunity."

He nodded. To do something like change a contract, this was something that held some form of importance to the Goblins. He rubbed his hands nervously on his legs. "I-" He paused, he had been invited to the Goblin Chieftain's office to hear it from him personally. This was an important decision for him, but this form of treatment also showed that it was important for the Goblin people as well. He made his decision. "I accept."

Ragnarok broke into a wide grin, "Excellent." He leaned forward and tapped an object on his desk. "Once you have given your oath, you will be able to learn more about the position you have accepted."

A door he hadn't known was there opened behind the Chieftain, and a man stepped into the room. He was fairly tall, but all of his other features were hidden under the hood of a dark cloak. The man handed a page to the Chieftain, who then passed it to him.

A muffled voice came from the man in the cloak. "That is your vow. You will need your wand."

He sat there stunned, paper in his hand. He had only seen one such cloak before! This man was an Unspeakable!

The voice came from under the hood again. "The vow Weasley."

He shook off his stupor, then looked at Ragnarok, who nodded. Drawing his wand he made his vow.

As soon the small eruption of light from the end of his wand signifying the binding of the vow ceased the man in the cloak pulled it down, revealing the gnarled face of Alastor Moody. "I hate that damn thing! Welcome to the Unspeakables Weasley!" He held out his hand.

The stunned young man shook the offered hand. "Thank you."

Ragnarok gained his attention again, "As far as anyone need know you still work for Gringotts, and will occasionally still join a team we send out. That excursion will be added into your normal pay as a bonus."

He nodded numbly. It wasn't till he had followed Moody out of the hidden doorway that the idea begin to set in, he was now an Unspeakable!

* * *

><p>Harry sighed as he picked at his dinner. He had hoped to be able to handle his pickup tonight like he normally would, a quick ride while he changed, have his gear checked while he was debriefed, then home. <em>But, <em>that was not meant to be, instead here he sat at dinner with Sirius, Amelia, Susan and Luna.

Tonks had gotten off easy, he decided, she had waved off the invitation and climbed into _his_ cab and ridden away. Fortunately she had also figured out his silent request to make alternate arrangements for his checks and debrief after having hung around long enough to overhear where they were having dinner. He had been signaled just after the entrée arrived that they were ready with fresh clothing that matched his, and equipment in the restroom as soon as he could get away.

As he was changing they also told him they were changing out his trunk with a duplicate and would have a team following Sirius's car, just in case. He had nodded as he primed the homer capsule he had been handed and slid it into place below the insole of his trainer.

He was then informed he would be gathered from the rendezvous nearest his home at 4:00am for his debrief, as it was expected Luna was going to be headed there with him. He had groaned audibly at that. He doubted he would make it home much before 11:00 and if Luna was along she would be bouncing off the walls with a mixture of excitement and sugar…

His attention was brought back to the present when he heard Susan ask, "Luna? Why are you staying with Harry over the Hols? Didn't you want to go with your father to Africa? That sounds like something you'd love!"

The slight blond nodded. "Oh, it is! We went to Kenya when I was nine, it was beautiful! The people were wonderful too!" she replied. "When Daddy did ask me if I wanted him to ask for permission for me to accompany him I decided I wanted to try something different, so I told him I'd rather stay with Harry!"

Everyone at the tables turned toward Harry. His attention however was entirely upon Luna, he had a bad feeling about this. Sirius's next question went a long way toward turning that feeling into a reality. "Luna? Why would your father need to ask permission?"

She shrugged lightly as she spooned up another bite of her Bananas Foster. "I'm a ward of Lord Potter-Black."

He could almost feel the eyes of everyone at the table boring into him as Amelia asked, "How did _this _happen?"

Luna smiled brightly, and was more than happy to retell the story of how she had been attacked at Hogwarts then how Harry had come to her rescue and finally how when her father asked him to continue to watch over her he had agreed.

While Amelia had known about the attack she was surprised that Xeno had known the old ways well enough to be able to take the chance that presented itself to move his daughter into the protection of one of the old families. The others had been stunned by the story of the attack, and as Susan thought about it, she realized that was the time Luna had become part of their group.

Sirius chuckled. "Well how about that! Pup, I'm proud of you… but if you keep this up you'll need a bigger house!" He then broke out in a deep belly laugh.

At that the three females looked at Sirius in confusion. Harry spoke while Sirius fought to regain his composure. "Hermione… Her dad accidently asked the same thing of me after he was injured in the attack by Bellatrix LeStrange…" His voice trailed off. He looked at Luna, and asked. "But he doesn't need to ask permission for her to go with him, why would your dad?"

Luna shrugged, however Amelia had an answer. "It would just be protocol, in most cases, unless it was in direct conflict with something you wished Luna or Hermione to do as head of house."

He thought about that for a moment then nodded. "Luna, did you want to go with your father to Africa?"

Luna shook her head slightly. "I've been to Africa, and most of Europe at one point or another…" She spoke a little softer, "I saw the pictures of your trip to Hawaii and the United States… I'd like to see something like that, and I was hoping you had something planned with your family… I was kind of hoping to see Terry again…" She finished barely loud enough for Harry to hear.

He nodded numbly, "Well I was planning to fly and meet them tomorrow… but you don't have a passport..."

She excitedly dug into her beaded bag, arm disappearing almost to her shoulder. "This?" She pulled out a small black book and handed it to him. "Daddy always said it was simpler to have these when you travel, especially in non magical areas."

Her smile broadened after he had inspected it and handed it back and said, "Well, I'll see what I can do… but no promises."


	93. Chapter 94

Again, I own nothing!

And a big THANK YOU to my Beta the amazing pazed!

READ! ENJOY! REVIEW! Because that is the only form of payment any person that writes on this sight expect!

**Chapter 94**

Harry trudged his way into the kitchen through the back door, it had been a _long_ night. Dinner had taken more time than he thought necessary. Who in their right mind needed _three_ desserts? Evidently Luna did! And Sue had followed right along! Between them they had _all_ of the offerings and traded bites back and forth of the ones they didn't order. Then when he _did_ make it home Luna was bouncing around like a cork for two more hours. He finally crawled into bed at half past one after making sure she had fallen asleep, only to be woken what felt like a moment later by his watch's alarm.

His driver had been a godsend! He had brought coffee! And not just one of those little paper cups either, but an entire large thermos filled with the dark brew! All of which he had finished before their arrival at MI6.

As it turned out his debriefing was rather routine, no tracking charms had been found, none of his equipment needed replacing, and it wasn't until his discussion about Hermione and Luna that they hit a road block. The revelation about their being wards of the Potter and Black family and the implications of that situation had taken a lot of time to explain. And when he went on to explain Hermione's suspicions all neatly spelled out in her notebook that she had shown him and he had confiscated … Things really spiraled out of control.

M had railed at him for not nipping _that _situation in the bud! If she had such suspicions he was being careless, she was too young to know what she was getting herself into… etcetera. That had gone on for almost a half an hour.

When she had finished her vent, Harry had surprised her by agreeing with her. Hermione _didn't_ have any idea what she was asking for! _BUT! _She was just too smart for her own good! She was going to notice something! When he went through the points she had made in the notebook M grudgingly agreed that he was not the _only_ person to blame for her suspicions. There had been too many coincidences surrounding them, something to be careful of in the future. By the time he had left no decision had been reached about what was to be done about her, but M was going to consider the options.

As for Luna, no one saw any problem with her accompanying him for a family visit, the more the merrier according to M.

Harry took a deep breath, coffee. He turned to find Luna smiling softly at him and offering him a freshly poured cup. "Good morning Harry, did you have a nice run?"

He nodded as he took a sip. "Not bad, not as strenuous as using the stairs in Hogwarts, but not bad."

She sighed. "You could have woken me, I'd have kept you company."

"You need the sleep, we got to bed late, and when I woke up I knew I wouldn't get back to sleep." He sat at the table. "Besides we need to talk about you going with me today…" The next thing he knew she was sitting on his lap arms wrapped around him in a hug.

James walked across the wooden veranda that made up a large section of Garcia's, a restaurant renowned for its seafood, making his way toward the table chosen by Jason Copper, South East section chief of AI, Arcane Investigation. "Copper," he said after the code phrases had been exchanged, offering his hand.

"What did I want from Pat?" the other man asked.

James smiled at the challenge. "To keep her… being more careful than normal?"

He nodded, taking the offered hand and gesturing to the chair across from him. "It's a tense time… I've set up some privacy wards already so we're good there… You said you know what happened to the satellites?"

James nodded as he sat. "Have you ever heard of someone named General Arkady Grigorovich Ourumov?" Copper shook his head. "How about Alec Trevelyan, or Janus?" Again the man shook his head. "That is what I thought, so many see so much but then again not enough. None of you are able to see the complete picture, each one missing a different, but vital, piece."

He went on to explain the theft of the Tiger helicopter and its part in the theft of Goldeneye as well as the roles of Alec and General Ouromov. He did leave out Anya's part in things, that was her story to tell; along with his suspicions about the final detonation area of the device.

Copper pondered Bond's thoughts, he could be right. Had the detonation happened at the original altitude, the one from before the girl's reprogramming of the system, it may well have cost them all three of the satellites spanning the eastern seaboard. They would all have been within the blast area, leaving the entire south east and northeastern coast open. The detonation had been written off by the mundanes as being early because of reentry, but what if that wasn't true? Where had someone acquired the information on the satellites to make such a strike possible?

A thought struck him. "The satellite you protected… It was one of the ones destroyed… If this isn't a coincidence they targeted it twice…."

James shook his head. "I don't believe in coincidence. Not like this, and if we don't read these two in then no one will be checking out a possible connection from their side, or with their point of view."

Copper had to concede the point. They didn't have the resources to look into this, especially if you took into account that they had a leak somewhere if all of this was true. "Ok, I'll agree, and you're sure of these two?"

James nodded. "One of them you already have spoken to, Felix Leiter. He's CIA, one of the best men I know. The other…. Well, she's harder to explain but will be a massive asset if you can get past her history… she is ex-SMASH, and before you ask, yes she can be trusted. After recent events she has burnt those bridges. Her name is Anya Amasova, once known as XXX (Though she detests the designation), she is tough and resourceful one of the best I've ever seen."

Copper looked at him confused. "Okay, Leiter I get, but why should we trust this Amasova?"

James chuckled. "I told you she burnt those bridges, and when I said that I meant it. She was the one that went into SMASH headquarters with me, she's a dead woman if they find her."

"So, you want her to work with Leiter?" he asked.

"No… She needs to disappear. Officially she is dead, but one of us was recognized when we went after SMASH. You liked Pam so much I thought you'd like to have someone like her around for a while."

Copper sat back, if she could be trusted she could be an asset. "I'll think about it…"

Harry pulled his coat a little tighter as he stepped out of the terminal building and onto the tarmac, Luna close behind. They had to hurry, as according to their pilot the main part of a storm front was only a few miles out. If they weren't off the ground soon they may be stuck for hours.

Stepping onto his grandfather's jet he was greeted by a rousing round of hellos, from the other passengers. Passengers Harry wasn't expecting. Marc-Ange smiled widely. "Ah Harry, It is good to see you." He hugged the confused young man. "I was led to believe you know our other guests," he said gesturing to Sirius, Amelia, and Susan. He then embraced the young woman boarding. "And you must be Luna! A pleasure to meet you my dear."

Harry growled at Sirius. "And you couldn't have said something about this last night?"

His godfather pointed at Amelia. "Talk to her, I didn't know till this morning… she didn't even let me pack my own bag!"

He looked at her incredulously. "Really?"

An angelic smile met his glare. "This is a good chance for all of us to relax." Her eyes turned hard as she added, "You can all use it."

Harry studied her face for a moment, then nodded. He had a feeling that was meant more for him than anyone else. He passed them and sat next to the window, Luna sitting next to Susan. Shortly after they had buckled and Marc-Ange was seated next to him they were airborne.

His grandfather leaned closer to him, his voice muffled by the sound of the jet. "Your father is fine, he is in Miami and will meet us in a day or two."

Harry nodded, then asked, "Where?"

The older man patted his hand. "We will be staying at _Fortunada._ Have you been there before?"

Harry shook his head. "No… I've been to the Caribbean, but never San Monique…"

It had taken almost two hours for the novelty to wear off on the majority of the passengers and for them to settle in for the remainder of the flight, ending up with Harry sitting across the small table from Sirius.

"Harry, we need to talk about a few things…" he began, then trailed off, looking down at his hands. Looking up again he started again. "Harry, I understand how you feel about Dementors… probably better than anyone else, I spent over ten years around the damn things… what you felt, while personal… I won't ask about it… unless you want to talk about it…" Harry glared at him. "Right…. Ok, but Harry you're not doing yourself any good exhausting yourself trying to learn the Patronus charm."

"I won't be helpless again!" he growled.

Sirius held up his hands. "I'm not saying you shouldn't learn it… and I know you'll get it…. What I'm trying to say is, it's going to take time… you're young, and that charm takes an amazing amount of concentration and power, not to mention the feelings needed to help fuel it…" He paused for a moment and licked his lips. "Harry, I can't cast it… I used to be able to but… I can't keep focused on the emotions I need… and it will be all the harder in the presence of those… _things_… It is incredibly difficult, but you'll get there in time. You just need to let it come… Take the hols off… have a good time with your friends… relax, come back and try it again with fresh eyes."

Harry just looked at him. "Sirius," he said his voice low and filled with anger, "you may have been held prisoner around them, but they almost sucked out my soul! They made me relive…" his voice dropped away. "I won't be in that position again!" He stood abruptly and went to the rear of the plane and into the lavatory.

Sirius sighed as he watched the door close. Amelia's hand came to rest on his shoulder. "No luck?"

He shook his head. "No… I… I didn't approach him right… I didn't know how angry he is. I-I thought it was because he was afraid… But that's not it he's mad at himself, he feels like he failed somehow."

She nodded as she sat next to him. "Maybe James will have better luck."

He nodded, but somehow felt that he had failed his best friend's son again.

She hated feeling like this. It was almost six months since she had graduated from Hogwarts, with excellent grades mind you, but as it turned out her only job offer had been at Broomstyx, buying and selling second hand brooms. She had taken it of course, it wasn't as if she could ask her family to keep supporting her after they had already sacrificed so much to allow her to attend Hogwarts. She had always returned home singing the praises of the magical world and how amazing it was, only to finally learn the bitter truth of how doors only opened for certain people and she was _definitely_ not one of those privileged people.

Percy had always told her that she had nothing to worry about, right up until the day he had accepted his job at the ministry. Suddenly he no longer had time for a best friend, let alone his girlfriend. All the plans they had made just evaporated, now she lived in a small flat, that she suspected she was being overcharged for, and could barely keep herself fed.

The bell over the front door tinkled drawing her attention out of her brooding thoughts and back to the present. Standing she straightened her robes and made her way to the front of the store. "May I help you sir?" she asked.

The man in front of her nodded. "I hope you can, my dear. Are you Penelope Clearwater?"

A look of confusion crossed her face. "I am. Do I know you sir?"

"No my dear," he said. "I have heard much about you however. My name is Algernon Croaker and I have a job offer for you."

Harry stood at the edge of the cove, watching as the moon reflected off the small waves lapping against the shore. He had only stayed in the house long enough to drop off his bag; the rest of the afternoon he had wandered the property, in search of a place where he could practice in peace. He had settled on this cove about dusk, it was out of sight of the house, and there was no way a non magical could see him without being in a boat, and he would hear them long before they could see him.

He shivered in the evening breeze as he regained control of his breathing. He had failed again. No matter how hard he tried, how hard he trained all he could make was a silvery mist. He growled and cast the charm again "_EXPECTO PATRONUM_!" he yelled forcing as much of his magic into the wand as he could. Again the silver mist appeared, spraying into the evening air, while his face turned red with effort, till, with a gasp, he collapsed onto all fours, gulping for air.

A voice came from behind him. "And that will be enough of that!"

Harry glanced over his shoulder to see his father and Terry stepping off the wooden walkway and onto the beach. Terry knelt next to him and plucked the wand from his limp fingers. "Harry! What do you think you are doing?" she said, angry. "You're exhausted! If you keep this up…" her voice lowered. "Harry… You could really hurt yourself…" She handed the wand to James, and gathered him into a hug. "Please don't do this to yourself…"

He sniffed, and pushed her away, tears running down his face. "I don't have a choice! I've got to do this! I've got to-"

James knelt next to him looking him in the eye, and cut him off. "But, not like this." He put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Son… please, you need to stop. We're worried about you. Alex even sent me a letter about what you've been doing, I wish now I had taken it more to heart. This… this isn't healthy… Harry you can't do this to yourself."

He hiccupped. "I've got to be able to stop them…"

James nodded. "And you will… I have faith in you. But you aren't going to be able to do it like this! The only person not impressed with your progress is you! Croaker and Moody are stunned you have even gotten this far! Hell, Alex has completed her education_ and_ has some Auror training and by Croaker's estimation she is only ahead of you by the smallest of margins. He said you would probably have it sometime this spring… but if you keep this up, the only thing you'll do is make yourself sick."

James smiled softly at him. "Look, Harry, I made arrangements for you to see the same man you talked with after the incident with Quirrell. If you don't want to talk to one of us… then please speak with him… Just let me know when you want to see him… Please we want to help."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "It made me see things… Re-live things… The fight with the Basilisk… the Oni, and the one with Quirrell. I was on the mesa with the elders again… then the train with Blofeld's men… then… then…" He looked down at the sand. "I saw it... flashes of it at least… I watched as he- he killed her… my mother… Lily Potter. I was there in the room when she died…"

Tears were streaming down his face as he continued. "She pleaded with him… begged him to spare me… kill her instead. He-he laughed at her... told her… told her he would spare her if she gave me to him and would serve him… she refused and then he killed her… there was a brilliant flash of green and she was just there, lifeless on the floor… He was laughing the entire time… The closer that thing got the clearer it all was… and I felt it all! Every bit of it! I've got to be ready to face them! I can't go through it again!"

James hugged him. "We'll do everything we can to keep them away. Besides you'll have that charm down before summer and they can't cross the wards into the school." He looked down at his son. "But at the moment, you need to rest. So no magic until you are back at school and you will exercise with me every morning. Nothing strenuous till after Christmas. Understood?"

Harry nodded. "Good! Now, let's get back up to the house, dinner will be ready soon."


	94. Chapter 95

**Chapter 95**

M sat with a stack of papers in one hand and her coffee in the other. Across from her sat the three men in charge of the new Department of Mysteries, or as it had come to be known recently MI 13. Originally the designation had been a joke, a teasing way of referring to their newest brethren, but at some point it had made its way onto some paperwork. Now while classified at the highest levels, it had replaced the Second World as the classification for their work within the magical world.

She had grown to respect each of these men in her short tenure as M. Algernon Croaker was as smart as they came and did not shrink in the face of adversity. Alastor Moody, the grizzled old warrior was as paranoid as hell but when you thought about it and what he had survived he had every right to be. As for Q, well she had always had the utmost respect for the man.

They were waiting for the last person that had been invited to this little conclave; she had wanted Amelia to be here also but felt it was best if she accompany Harry in case James was delayed after reading the debriefing reports from Alex. The fifth participant was on his way but was running a little behind. She understood that when you are the leader of the goblin people, and president of the wizarding world's only bank, some delays are to be expected.

A sharp rap came from the door, then it swung open. M smiled as she stood. "Ah, Mr. Gold! So nice to see you again. Please join us." She motioned to the large conference table that sat at the far side of the room. "I trust you all remember each other?" she asked. Receiving nods all around she continued, "I wanted to speak with each of you about our progress on several things, the first of which is Tom Riddle." She sat at the short end of the table and arranged her paperwork. "I know that this has been of a low priority, because of other issues, but I feel that it is one that needs some consideration." She shuffled through a few pages. "We have, as of this time, destroyed several dark objects containing his magical signature… including... a locket, a tiara, a cup, and a… diary." She looked up from the page and adjusted her glasses. "The same magical signature… residue, was also cleansed from Harry, and confirmed again this past summer."

Each of her guests nodded and Mr. Gold continued from that point. "Due to the DoM's ongoing issues, research into his past has been handled by some of my staff. Most of his records after his time within the walls of Hogwarts are spotty at best, so the official records held little information after 1945. However, Dumbledore had already developed an interest in him long before then."

Mr. Gold passed out a thin file. "First we will focus on the official files. He was born 1926, December 31, to Tom Riddle Sr. and Merope Gaunt. Riddle Sr., who passed in 1943, was from the small village of Little Hangleton and was the heir to a wealthy non magical family. The Gaunts were a poor wizarding family that lived nearby. They were married in 1926, but before their son's birth the marriage was annulled. Merope Gaunt passed during child birth and the child was refused by the father and placed in a local orphanage run by a Mrs. Cole."

He passed another sheet to them. "His school records from Hogwarts show that Dumbledore volunteered to meet with non magical students that year, for the first time since he joined the staff. He introduced Tom to the magical world and he was sorted into Slytherin, becoming an exceptional student. The rest I'll let you read."

He passed around the next file. "Dumbledore's papers cover several areas left hidden by the official record. The Gaunt family was descended from Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of Hogwarts, as well as Cadmus Peverell," the other magicals looked at the goblin, stunned... "a family name thought lost to legend. For whatever reason they never claimed either of those titles, if they had they would have been quite wealthy, as well as formidable."

He gave them a moment to process that information, then continued. "Merope had two brothers, both older, Marvolo and Morfin. Both of whom died in Azkaban, after assaulting Riddle Sr. for being a non magical involved with their sister. Whether this was the reason for the couples' separation is not clear."

Mr. Gold then opened a different file. "After his graduation Riddle held several smaller positions in various businesses, as well as making four separate attempts to gain employment at Hogwarts. He then began to travel. How Dumbledore tracked the man's movements remains a mystery at the moment, but he places him in several areas of Africa, Egypt, several places around the Mediterranean, Germany, Poland and into Russia. From there he made his way by freighter to Brazil, and into the jungle. Returning to England in 1958, he again took employment in the alley at Borgin and Burkes, where he excelled in both the purchase and sale of magical heirlooms."

"In 1969 something changed; Riddle once again began to travel but Dumbledore did not choose to track him, and when he appeared again it was in the guise of Lord Voldemort." The goblin looked up from the report. "As a side note, it was at this point Dumbledore began to research other families extensively. From the records of research found the new families of interest were Potter, Longbottom, Bones, and MacDougal. Each of those families also had ties with at least one founder as well as the Peverell family, according to the paperwork recovered."

M pondered that information for a moment. "So he wants something in conjunction with those blood lines?"

"If he wants something from the Peverell line…" Croaker's voice trailed off. "He believes a story told to magical children to be true."

Moody slammed his hand on the table. "Don't be daft, man! That is just a child's story!"

M grumbled. "Would you care to enlighten those of us that don't know this story?"

Nodding slowly Croaker began, "It is 'The Tale of the Three Brothers' written by Beedle the Bard. The tale centers around the Peverell brothers; Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus, three brothers traveling through an unknown area. Coming upon a raging river blocking their way, working together they created a bridge to cross the impossible obstacle. Angered that the brothers had avoided their appointed time, death appeared pretending to congratulate them for their ingenuity and _awarded_ each of them with a gift of their choice."

He took a sip of water, then continued. "The first brother chose a wand that would make him invincible in a duel, the second a way to communicate with the dead, and the third chose the gift of invisibility even to death himself. The first brother bragged of his wand, and was killed one night in his sleep and the wand stolen. The second brother learned that the use of his gift, which he used to bring back the soul of his beloved wife, caused them unbelievable pain. This drove him insane, and he took his own life. The last brother hid beneath the cloak, living a long full life, before removing it, passing it to his son, and greeting death as an old friend, dying peacefully. Collectively these objects are known as the Deathly Hallows, although no proof of their existence has ever been found."

Q looked uncomfortable, then spoke. "You say that the invisibility gift was a cloak?" Croaker nodded. "One that nothing could penetrate?"

Again he nodded. "Yes… and while not common, there are ways to obtain invisibility magically, all of them susceptible to the spell _Homenum Revelio_ allowing anyone hidden to be found."

Q shook his head. "Not true… there is one that I know of that, unless you know it is there, is completely invisible. That spell does not work and even with the best equipment I have available only the smallest hints can be found and those are never of what is under the cloak but only things external to it. Warmth on the floor where he had walked… something of that nature."

Croaker leaned forward asking, "And who cast the detection spells?"

"Amelia, she was quite put out about it," Q answered. "She was surprised that it was an heirloom item as well, passing through many generations."

Moody sputtered, "B-but that's impossible!"

Q shrugged. "That is what she said as well."

Croaker's eyes were wide. "And this cloak, you have it?"

He shook his head. "No, but I do know where it is."

The answer dawned on Croaker at that moment. "Harry!"

"Indeed." Q replied. "Though its existence is kept off the record, we suspect Dumbledore returned it when the will was read because too many questions would be raised publicly if it was to disappear, as it is mentioned not only in the will itself but in the Gringotts heirloom register and the Potter Journals."

"Merlin!" said Moody sitting back. "He had something like that? For how long?"

Q shrugged again. "But we know it was tradition for the eldest Potter to have it when they arrived at Hogwarts."

Croaker choked. "He- He had access to the cloak anytime a Potter was in attendance! James started in '71… and he had access for at least ten years after James's death! Is that why he was so interested in Harry and the others? He was looking for the cloak?

Mr. Gold spoke slowly, as he ran through the information. "Possibly… I will speak with the Potter portraits, perhaps they have some other information."

M nodded. "And how is the progress with the portraits? Will they be ready to present to Harry soon?"

Mr. Gold smiled. "They are ready now… but with James and Harry out of the country it will need to wait till their return."

"Very well," she replied, then moved on to the next order of business.

* * *

><p>Harry watched as the bubbles rose from his respirator toward the surface. He checked his watch, then held up an open hand with five fingers out stretched, his father nodded. It was only a precaution, they hadn't been too deep or down that long, but it was best to err on the side of safety.<p>

It had been a great way to spend the morning, diving the reef off the shore from the house. It was too bad none of the others had earned their scuba certification, though Sirius had mentioned using something called gillyweed instead (but they hadn't brought any). It had been peaceful, quiet, and stunningly beautiful. He didn't think the pictures he had taken would do it justice but still it had been a great deal of fun.

As he continued to float, his mind drifted. Over the last week and a half he had spoken with his therapist for at least an hour a day, and spoken at length with his father and Sirius. Had it helped? Some, he had concluded, but if he was truthful with himself spending time with Terry had helped more. She had been the one who went with him to town every day, sat and waited as he spoke with the therapist then spent time doing quiet things with him. One day it was a quiet meal, the next shopping for food for the group, another it had been new beach clothes. Just an hour or two, the pair of them together, no pressure, or questions about what he was going through. For those few hours he was just Harry, a son out for the day with his mother. Something he would not soon forget.

A tap on his shoulder brought him out of his musing and his eyes to those of his father who gave him a thumbs up and pointed toward the surface. He glanced at his watch then gave back a thumbs up in return; they could head up, if they took it easy.

James helped pull Harry's tanks back into the boat. "Harry? You looked lost in thought down there. Something bothering you?"

Harry mentally sighed, more questions. "Just thinking."

James helped him aboard. "Anything I can help with?"

Harry shook his head. "No… I was… thinking about the time I've spent with Mum while we've been here… It's been nice."

James smiled, that had been what they had hoped for. "Good, I'm glad you have enjoyed it." James finished stowing the gear and began to get settled. "Christmas is in two days, are you ready?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I think so. I even found something fun for Sirius."

James smiled as he gunned the engine. "Let's get back, lunch will be ready when we get there."

* * *

><p>Hermione smiled at the man at the door as he handed her the package as she signed for it. 'Who would be sending me a package?' she thought, 'everyone will be here tomorrow.' She walked through the house toward the kitchen, her parents joining her.<p>

"So does it say who it's from?" her mother asked.

She shook her head. "No." She used a kitchen knife to open it. "But there is a note inside…" she unfolded it and began to read. "It's from Harry! He says he won't be back in time for boxing day…He is spending time with his parents, but he wanted me to have my Christmas present as well as…" She laid the note down and opened the box. Inside was another package wrapped in bright paper lying on top of black cloth.

Laying the package aside she pulled out an amazingly soft set of robes; they were dark black and glittered slightly kind of like silk. "Oh my!" she said in a breathless voice.

Her mother picked up the note as her daughter examined the robes. She read out loud, "You're family, so you may need these at some point, just in case. They are robes to be worn in case you are called on as a member of the Potter or Black family to make a formal appearance."

She smiled at her husband as she continued, "The only way that would happen is if; one, you were called in front of the Wizengamot and accused of a crime, or second, Sirius or I are not available for some form of public function (and we'll try not to do that to you) as you are a recognized member of either house."

She chuckled as she started reading the next section. "Now the bad news. Now that you are the ward of two houses, so, you need to be well versed in how they do things, as such, you have been enrolled in Madam Marta's this summer. I know that it may grate against some of your beliefs, but it is important that you are prepared for the position you now hold."

Hermione's face crinkled up, but as she thought about it she would be spending the summer with her friends… she knew most of the girls would be there. It could be fun, and she would get to learn more about how wizarding society worked. She refolded the robes and set them carefully back into the box. She then picked up the beautifully wrapped Christmas gift. "I'm going to put this with the others… I'll open it first, before the others are here, just in case it is something magical… but I want to wait and open it on Christmas…" Her voice trailed off as she turned and walked toward the living room.

* * *

><p>Christmas morning came quickly for the family gathered on the island, and as far as James was concerned it was the perfect white Christmas, white sand beaches, and Father Christmas in Bermuda shorts.<p>

He watched as the kids unwrapped their presents, smiles wide. When he had first bought this place, not long after the demise of the previous owner, he had only thought to destroy it… for Terry's sake, and he did. But something about the place seemed to call to him, so he had this house built. He didn't ever expect to live here, it was in hopes that… well maybe some day Terry would see it and somehow put those demons to rest. Little did he realise that it would lead to this, a family… and become a home, so quickly… something he had not wanted since Tracy's death… and all of it because of Harry.

A hand came to rest gently on his shoulder and looking up he found Terry's smiling face as she watched the scene in front of them. After all these years she was still as beautiful as the day he had met her. She was strong, brave, intelligent as well as compassionate. In all the years he had traveled the world he had met women that equaled her in one area or another, sometimes more than one, but never had all of them been in one person as they were in her. She had given him not only a son, that as strange as his upbringing had been they had done together, but also a daughter that she had raised on her own and who had become an amazing woman.

Now they were all together, here in the home he had built. It was more than he could have ever asked for, more than he ever thought he would have, given his profession. He smiled up at her as she glanced down at him. He only had one question, "Will you marry me?" he asked quietly.

She sat straight, stunned. Had he just asked her that? Glancing around to see if anyone else had heard him she saw every face looking at her. Her gaze moved back to James and she nodded slowly, a nearly imperceptible "Yes" escaping her lips, as she was pulled down into a kiss.

It was a small ceremony, held on New Year's Eve in a small church in the town of San Monique, all of the participant sworn to secrecy.


	95. Chapter 96

**As always. I own nothing!**

**And a big THANK YOU to the mighty pazed!**

**Read! Enjoy! Review! Because that is the only payment any of the writers here expect!**

**Now! On with the show! **

**Chapter 96**

Severus Snape paused, listening at the door. He knew that there were only two people in the room, but he wanted to know the occupants' mental state before he entered. Truth be told, he wasn't sure why he had ever agreed to follow the man, and now that his pet psychopath was back… he wasn't sure he could survive if anything else went wrong.

He knocked on the door softly and the voices quieted. "Enter," said the male voice.

"Master, I have brought Lady Bellatrix's potions," he said, entering and keeping his eyes firmly on the floor, in no way tempted to allow them to wander around the room.

"Very well, my friend. Bella, my dear child, if you please." The man motioned her toward the items upon the tray.

Her eyes flickered between the offered potions and the man, he gave her a stern look. "Yes, Daddy…"

He listened as the bed creaked and she rose, padding barefooted across the room. He held the tray stable as she took each vial and replaced it.

"That's it, my dear. We will have you back to your peak of health in no time." She smiled at him, as she returned to her place in the bed at his side.

As Severus made to leave, his master's voice stopped him. "How goes your friends' training Severus?"

Keeping his eyes firmly on the ground, he answered. "Well, my Master."

"Excellent, I will have a list of tasks for you and your men within the week. I wish you to use them as… exercises for your people. No more than five in any group… And none of their normal regalia. Understood?" the man asked.

"Yes Master," he answered.

"I do expect some losses… but you are to permit no failures."

"I understand Master… How long will I have to complete these tasks?" he asked.

The man pondered the answer. "They must be done before the Quidditch World Cup. I will need you and your men back in England at the least the week before."

"It will be as you command, Master."

"Severus, I wish you to make contact with our person within the DMLE. I wish to know where my wand is being stored, as well as the Bones woman's schedule… this must be done soon, but with the utmost care, as I do not wish for any undue attention to come of this."

"I will see to it right away, Master."

"You may go, Severus." With that dismissal, Severus Snape fled the room.

* * *

><p>As much as Harry enjoyed his Christmas in a tropical paradise, it felt right to feel the biting cold in the air and feel the crunch of fresh snow under his feet this time of year. He had been back in the UK two days, and so far he had spent the majority of his time being caught up on the new changes to the Department of Mysteries, or as it was now being called MI-13, including reading the dossiers of each of the new members that had been recruited from both the mundane and the magical sides.<p>

This afternoon however, had been something completely different.

He walked slowly down Diagon Alley, lost in thought as evening approached. What he had learned during the visit to Gringotts had been jarring. His parents had been friends, but never anything more…

He paused looking in the window of the Apothecary, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. That old man had a lot to answer for, he had destroyed and manipulated so many… And while most of his manipulations seemed to focus upon a few families, the tendrils of his manipulations wrapped so much deeper.

"Knut for your thoughts," said a voice from behind him.

As he turned his expression changed, a smile growing across his face. "Daphne! Tracy! It's good to see you. I hope you both had a pleasant Yule?"

Daphne frowned at him. "It was very pleasant, and if your tan is any indication yours was as well, but don't change the subject mister! Something had you so distracted that you've stood there staring at that same window for the last five minutes. We're your friends Harry, what's wrong?"

He sighed, he had no idea he'd been standing there like that, it could have gotten him killed. "Just some family stuff… Potter family, we found my parents paintings… they were damaged when we found them."

A look of sadness came over both of the girls. "Oh, Harry…" said Tracy, taking his hand. "I'm so sorry. Will they be able to be fixed?"

"Yes." He nodded. "They were just finished recently…" he looked down, "They were young when they had them painted… Still at Hogwarts… they hadn't been updated from before their sixth year…They hadn't even started dating at the time, not really at any rate. It was… not what I had hoped." Not the truth, but close enough.

Daphne took his other hand. "Harry, I wish it could have been more, but at least you have that much." He nodded slowly. "I'll tell you what, we'll let you buy us some ice cream and keep us company for a while. It will help your spirits. I promise."

They had just managed to pull him through the door into the ice cream parlor as what she had said registered. "Why am _I_ paying for _your_ ice cream?"

Tracy smirked. "Because we are gracing you with our beauty, it's only right you pay."

"Ah, well when you put it like that." He returned the smirk with a chuckle.

He nodded to the man behind the counter as the girls began to order. Who understood women? Ice cream in the middle of winter. Go figure.

They sat and began to talk, they with their Sundaes and Harry with a cup of hot cocoa. Thank yous for gifts were exchanged, as were stories about the holiday, when Harry felt something. It started in the pit of his stomach and began to bubble up from within him. His finger tips began to feel cold and he glanced toward the window. The alley outside was empty but his eyes grew wide as he watched frost begin to make patterns in the glass as it began to spread in wide fingers across them. One word tumbled from his lips, "Dementor…"

Both of the girls' heads snapped toward the front of the store to watch as a cloaked figure seemed to flow through the front door, skeletal fingers pointing forward as it did so. They shrieked in panic, half jumping half falling from their stools as they scurried on their haunches away from the approaching creature.

Sweat began to form on Harry's brow, he stumbled as he staggered to his feet. His fingers fumbling as he freed his wand from its sheath, he moved between the creature and the now cowering girls. He tried to center himself the best he could as he forced his magic through the wand. "E-Expecto Patronum," he cried, as a fine white mist formed into a dome shape in font of him. It wasn't going to work…

He dropped to his knees as he kept it up, he could feel the thing as it pressed against the dome, which gave and shrank under the creature's touch. He glanced behind him, and Daphne's eyes were wide stretched with terror, as she looked past him. He was going to fail them…

The owner of the Parlor emerged from the back of the store, backing away from what Harry could only imagine was another Dementor. The man was white with fear, when he bumped into the counter he turned and began to run.

Harry cursed as he dropped the spell and tackled the man to the ground to keep him from running head long into the other creature. Rolling away from the man Harry brought his wand to bear again… He didn't know if he had another one in him. 'Where were the Aurors?' flashed through his mind as his eyes locked on his target.

He took a deep breath, every good memory he had had failed him. Nothing seemed powerful enough to help him power the spell. He'd tried everything…

Suddenly something occurred to him, why was he limiting it to one memory? A smile crept across his lips as his eyes closed. He let the memories flow, his amazing family; ranging from his now married parents, to the goblin he called Uncle, as well as his fabulous friends, and everything that they were creating together! His eyes sprang open. _**"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"**_

Light exploded from the tip of his wand expanding to fill the shop with a blinding white light. A roar shook the ground and shattered glass all around him as his spirit animal, a great cougar, formed and charged toward the first Dementor. In a flash it impacted the creature throwing it back the way it had come. Bounding away it sprang toward its next target.

Moments later it was over, all that remained the evening chill and scattered broken glass. The cougar strode back into the room circling them slowly, protectively. As it nudged each girl softly with its nose, color seemed to return to them. It then made its way back to Harry and as he reached out to touch it, a feeling of peace settled on him. He smiled at the cat, grateful. "Thank you my friend." With a small nuzzle to Harry's face it dissipated.

Harry sat down heavily, and leaned back against the wall. His head snapped to the right when he heard a scraping sound, his wand springing up ready to defend. He lowered his wand when he saw it was the girls, Daphne and Tracy looked at him with pleading eyes. When he nodded they crawled up next to him one on each side. That is the way they were still sitting ten minutes later when the Aurors arrived.

* * *

><p>Amelia Bones tried to be as level headed as possible; it didn't serve any purpose to let your anger cloud your judgment. However, in this instance she would make an exception. "I want answers!" she said forcefully as she stomped her way down the Alley. "I want to know why they were even here in the first place!"<p>

The man she had been yelling at nodded and hurried away. Her attention turned to the next man in line. "I want a search! Every shop! Every room! Find any victims! Make sure they get help!" He acknowledged the order and scurried off.

She stopped in the middle of the alley, looking up and down its length. They had been lucky in a sense. If the murder of the two handlers had been any earlier the alley would still have been filled with shoppers. As it was, few businesses had still been open at the time, restaurants, pubs, the Caldron, Gringotts, and more than a few less than reputable places in Knockturn Alley. The problem was most of these stores had their owners living over them, and they would all need to be checked, just to be sure no victims were missed.

It was going to be a long night.

Sighing, she began to walk toward Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, her feet crunching on the shattered window glass. If it hadn't been for some paperwork she and Sirius would have been here this evening, Florean and his wife Angie were old friends of her family and they had a standing dinner every month… It also helped her keep an ear out about the happenings in the Alley; it was stunning what people will talk about standing in line.

She was almost hesitant to approach the store, not wanting to see what might lie inside, what might have been the fate of her friends. She arrived in time to hear the rant of a familiar voice. "-care what you believe! They were here! And Lord Potter was the one who dealt with them!" Relieved he was safe, she made her way into the store.

She looked over the room quickly, Harry sat with his back against the counter a girl protectively under each arm. She was pleased to see his wand was still in his hand ready to be used if necessary. He looked exhausted, and the girls looked scared out of their minds, but she couldn't see any blood on any of them. The rest of the room looked destroyed, furniture lying scattered around the room, glass everywhere.

"Auror! Report!" she yelled.

The man jumped, and then turned quickly to face her. He was young, what was his name again? Miles… no… Michaels. Alton Michaels, he had finished his evaluation period about a year ago, she thought as he stumbled over his answer. "M-Madam Bones! I-I was… I was just taking statements Ma'am!"

"It sounded to me as if you were trying to influence those statements Michaels!" She walked toward him, her steel grey eyes boring into him. "Your job is to take their statements! Once that is done, investigators will decide how to proceed! Have you completed the new courses we have for investigators? If you have I haven't seen the paper work as of yet!" She growled.

"N-No ma'am…" he replied, uncertain.

"Then why, pray tell, are you arguing with Mr. Fortescue about his statement?" she asked.

His eyes moved from his boss to the young man sitting on the floor. "H-he wants me to believe that that boy cast the Patronus Charm! That's impossible! I can't cast that charm! It's too difficult for someone still in Hogwarts!" he said with conviction, fully believing it was impossible.

She let him finish his tirade, then spoke very quietly, yet with an authority that could not be missed. "Auror, that _boy,_" she stressed the word, "is Lord Harry James Potter, head of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Potters, as well as the scion of the Black family!" The young Auror's eyes came back to face hers. "That _alone _should have you making sure that you are following procedures to the letter! Let alone that this was an attack on our most important economic and shopping area! You will apologize to Mr. Fortescue, as well as Lord Potter immediately! Then go join the search crew! And if I so much as see your name on a single statement that has been taken tonight I will have your badge so fast that you won't know what happened! Do you understand?"

The young Auror nodded, gave his apologies quickly then left. She chuckled when he had gone, "Sorry about him Florean…" The man nodded, his own smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I expect that Angie wasn't here, seeing as my Auror still has his head attached."

The man nodded. "Yeah, went home to start dinner when you sent word that you were going to be busy tonight…" He turned toward the young man. "I was telling the truth to the boy, Amy. Lord Potter did cast the charm… right after he knocked me for a loop, kept me from running straight into the second Dementor… Never learned how to cast the charm myself… wish I had now!" He knelt next to Harry. "I owe you a great debt M'Lord..."

Harry cut him off. "I tell you what, just keep making Ice Cream and we'll call it even… and it's Harry… Just call me Harry."

The man smiled at him, warmly. "I think I can do that, but your Galleons are no good here. Anything you want it's yours, just ask, alright?"

Harry chuckled lightly. "You don't-"

"I owe you my life, it is the least I can do," he replied.

Harry nodded, as the man stood up and made his way toward the storeroom. Amelia smiled as she knelt next to the group of kids, handing them each a large chunk of chocolate. "Eat it all, it will help." They each took a bite. "So, you finally got it to work?"

Harry nodded slowly. "Yeah," he said, "I finally figured it out…" His voice trailed off as his head sank back and came to rest against the counter front. It was alright, Family was here, he could rest now. Exhaustion overtook him and he sank into darkness.

* * *

><p>When they boarded the train, two days later, bound back for Hogwarts, the attack on Diagon Alley was the topic of conversation between many of the families on the platform as well as the students boarding. When Harry had woken from magical exhaustion he had read both the account in the Daily Prophet as well as the full account as gathered by Amelia's people.<p>

Someone had killed the handlers for two of the Dementors that were acting as guards just outside the alley and set the pair loose. Three had been found dead, and another five injured in their panic to get away. As it was they had been lucky.

As for who was behind the deaths of the two handlers, that was still an unknown, as was any objective they may have had beyond causing a panic.

Harry smiled as the remainder of his friends made their way on board, all of them shoehorning themselves into a single cabin, taking up every seat and most of the floor space allowing them all to enjoy each other's company.

Soon after they pulled out of the station Daphne asked, "Harry? Who taught you to cast the Patronus Charm?"

He had been expecting the question. "Sirius… he can't cast it any more, after his stay in Azkaban. After my run in with them when Su Li and Alex found me, I wrote him and asked if there was something I could do to protect myself… Part of the time I was with him discussing family matters when he came to Hogwarts, he taught me how. I never got it to work… not completely… I could only make a shield mist… I guess I had an... epiphany that night…"

Daphne nodded. "I want to learn it Harry. Can you teach it to me?" she asked. The others nodded, after that attack they could see the value in being able to use it, if only as a precaution.

He looked around the room. "I- I guess… but we will need to talk with the Headmistress… get her to okay it… I need to warn you though, it is difficult… and until I am able to try it again I'm not sure I have it mastered, and I won't be able to do that till sometime later in the week. I'm not supposed to use magic for another couple of days, the med-witches have me restricted till then."

Daphne shook her head. "I don't care Harry. I want to learn it. I don't want to feel like that again. I-It felt like I was never going to be warm or happy again." A tear ran down her cheek.

He nodded. "Alright, then we'll talk to the Headmistress as soon as we can, and we'll add that to our exercises."

The rest of the ride was spent quietly, talking of more pleasant things than the encounter with Dementors.


	96. Chapter 97

**Ok, a note to start things off. I will be ending the first book of Second world at the end of Harry's third year (I'm shooting for Chapter 100, but we'll see). And will be starting the next book after about a months break. **

**That being said, on with the show!**

**As always, I own nothing! Just playing in some other persons sandbox!**

**A thank you goes out to the mighty pazed for the editing help!**

**READ! ENJOY! REVIEW! As it is the only form of payment any of the writers here expect!**

**Chapter 97**

William Arthur Weasley, to most known as Bill, had spent the first Christmas at home with his family since the year he graduated from Hogwarts. _Now_ he remembered why that was. It wasn't that he disliked his family, in fact he loved them all very much. Nor was it his father's habit of tinkering in the small shed with any of a number of 'muggle treasures' he had collected over the years, or even his overbearing mother with her unbelievable need to try to introduce him to 'a nice girl' for him to settle down with, or his twin brothers with their constant pranks.

No it all came down to two things. The first was the noise. The Burrow, as his home was called, was in a word, loud. Even though he loved both the house itself, from its ramshackle (How does it stay standing?) design to the ghoul that lived in the attic, and his family it was just too much. With him, four of his five brothers (Charlie couldn't make it home from the dragon preserve, something about a nesting female he was in charge of), his sister (the little hellion), and his parents, there was not a place to be had that was quiet or peaceful.

If it had been summer he could have taken refuge at the pond, or in the orchard, but now in the heart of winter? There just was no place to hide. So he had fended off pranks and dates aplenty while _trying_ to enjoy the company of his family.

And the second thing that had him wishing he had someplace else to stay? His youngest brother Ron. How a boy raised by his parents had gotten to the age to attend Hogwarts like that, let alone fourteen, amazed him!

The boy had no table manners to speak of, and seemed intent on shoveling as much as possible into his gob as quickly as he could, while never appearing to chew (at least with his mouth closed). He was greedy, a braggart, loud, and obnoxious, without a single thing that seemed to redeem him, especially when you got a look at his grades.

The funny thing was, his parents were at war with him about it almost constantly. Don't chew with your mouth open! If you want something then you can get a job in the village, like your brothers had during the summer! The list just went on and on. It was almost as if he wanted to fight with them about everything! Bill just couldn't understand him.

He shook his head slightly, shaking himself out of his musing about the holidays. While it had been fun in most respects, before he would spend Christmas nearby again he would be sure to have his own place to go home to.

His mind drifted as he watched the landscape outside the van's window drift by. They had been on the road for almost an hour this morning, after staying in a small inn the night before and the man driving had said they would arrive around eight thirty, depending on the weather. He glanced at his watch, they were probably almost there.

Just as he thought that he felt the van come to a halt. "Right!" the man said from the front. "This is it! Everybody out! And don't forget your bags!"

Bill was the second to last person out of the lead van, each had held six people including their driver, and their bags. He zipped the coat he had been given, along with his other gear, by Croaker two days before, and slipped on his new gloves as well as a knit cap over his now very short red hair.

That had made him almost regret joining the Unspeakables. The cutting of his hair, that is… He had started to grow his hair out the moment he graduated… and now? His hair was shorter than it had ever been in his entire life! Not only that they had taken his wand, dragonhide boots and coat, even his dragon fang earring! His only consolation was, other than a couple of beards and the two women, everyone else was in the same boat.

He looked at each one of the group again, but still none of them looked familiar. Three of the men, who seemed to know each other, stayed together standing next to the rear of the lead van waiting for their turn to unload their bags.

He thought the two women had traveled together to the inn, they had at the very least arrived together as he had noticed while he ate dinner last night. The last four he had seen in a group on the train the day before and they were laughing and drinking together at the pub he had thought about eating at before settling on the inn because it was quieter, as well as to save a little of the muggle money he had been given to travel with.

He flipped up his collar just before he took his turn to lift his black bag out of the back of the vehicle. When he turned around he saw the trio of men turn theirs around and slip their arms through a pair of straps adjusting them so the bag rested on their backs. The group of four men followed suit so he did likewise.

Bill was stepping toward the group when an odd four wheeled vehicle, with a popping engine, made its way up the hill. The man on its back brought it to a halt and stepped off like it was a small horse.

As he pulled off his goggles one of the quartet of men started to laugh. "Well, if it isn't Cap'n Granger! Thought you were retired!"

The man smiled at him. "You should know, old soldiers never retire they just learn how to pick their fights better." They laughed as they shook hands. "It's good to see you Mike." He nodded to each of the other men in turn. "Jim, Philip, Trevor." He glanced over at the other three men. "Bell, you, Park and Coach know where everything is, and how you're going to get there, so you lead the way, and take these creampuffs with you," he said pointing to the four men next to him, "and the green guy too." He pointed at Bill. "Breakfast is on the stove, leave some for the greeny… just in case he makes it in time… Well what are you waiting for? An invitation? Do you need me to hold your hand? MOVE OUT!"

David Granger watched as the almost complete squad began to jog toward Skyfall, just two more… but they were having problems filling one of those slots while the other was completing a rotation with an Israeli unit, cross training with their IDF's (Israeli Defense Force) Sayeret Matkal (Special Forces), and wouldn't be available for another three months.

He turned to the two women. "Welcome to Skyfall. Unfortunately at the moment our group is kind of lacking on training areas, so I am afraid you are going to need to put up with bunking with my little band of idiots. You will have your own room and bathroom, the master suite; if any of them give you any trouble just let me know."

Both of them nodded. "Alright then, grab your stuff and head out."

The two women looked at each other then back at David in confusion. He smiled evilly. "Didn't they tell you? You may not be operations, but if necessary everybody is going to be ready to fight! And that starts with PT, Physical Training, just like them! So GET A MOVE ON!" he yelled.

When they finished their evening meal, David looked at each new member of MI-13 receiving smiles in return from four of the group. As for the three he had been training, he could tell they had become lax over the holiday and were paying for it now, while the last three could barely lift their forks to feed themselves, though Weasley looked somewhat better off.

"Alright now is the time to tell you a little bit more about how this is going to work." He passed out a folder to each person. "These are your new orders. As of this moment you are all members of MI-13. A joint taskforce between the Crown's armed forces, and the Unspeakables… I trust you each read the file that was provided after you signed on for this job?" Each person nodded. "Good, you eight," he indicated the men, "are going to become our first Special Operations Unit, or SOU. Each of you was chosen for your specific skills."

"The Unit will be made up of five, two man buddy teams. Mike Waters and Ted Bell are Command. Mike, you're lead. Ted it's your job to learn from him he's one of the best in the business. Philip Carmichaels, and Jason Park, Special Weapons. Both of you are highly versatile and I plan on making use of it. Jim Morgan and Robert Close, Breaching and Close Combat, you'll be point most of the time. And finally, Trevor Lawson and William Weasley, Demolitions and Security."

"Cap?" Mike looked around at the group, "We seem to be missing two members."

David nodded. "You're going to need to make do for now, your ninth member is unavailable at the moment, and the tenth has yet to be selected. Due to circumstances that you will be briefed about during section one of your training, we don't have the luxury of time to wait for them."

The man didn't look happy, but nodded.

He gave them a moment to get a good look at each other, then continued. "Now, I don't want you magic types to get all bent out of shape that I am placing your buddy in charge of your two man teams. That's not what I am doing!" He waited till he had their attention back after that statement. "What I am doing is placing you under their command for this section of your training. Each of these men have been active operators for a number of years, all have had combat experience, use this chance to learn from them. They know small group tactics, urban combat, and guerilla warfare, both how to use it and how to fight against it."

"As for you knuckleheads," he said looking at each soldier in turn, "it's up to you to learn how to integrate their magic in combat! But for the next week get them back physically, to where they were before the hols. Trevor you're just going to need to work at getting him up to snuff as fast as possible." A sadistic grin appeared on the stubble covered face of Trevor.

"Next Friday, our magical operations education begins along with weapon training. As for you two, he pointed at the two women, you're going to be training with me. I'll see you all at 04:30 for our morning run, get some sleep." He turned and strode toward his room.

* * *

><p>Clicking on the light, he turned to the figure sitting in the chair. "I'm going to fast track them as much as I can, but it will still be a couple of months. Even then they won't be at full strength and you still need to find someone that can work with Mathers when he gets back."<p>

The figure sat forward, his disfigured face becoming visible, his replacement eye rotating wildly in its frame. Moody nodded. "We know that lad. The type of person you're looking for is a rare bloke, we've got our eyes on a few possibilities. We expect to have the selection made, and for his training to start within the next month. He'll go the same route as the Tonks girl however, so he'll be fresh out of the camp when Mathers is home, so you'll have some time with this lot back in London before then."

David nodded. "That's fine. I'll want to work them in a couple of city exercises, can you help arrange it?"

"I'll talk to M about having a couple of things ready." The old warrior stood, walking toward the door.

"I'm not sure about bringing Mathers into this…" David said, as the man passed. "He was ten when he saw his older brother killed by them. I'm not sure he'll be able to work with a magical."

"I'll pass along your concerns lad," the older man said, as he drew his wand and began casting a spell. His feet stopped making any noise as he walked. "But, he is the only person with that particular skill set that we could find that was experienced and still active. We need him…"

Dave nodded again, as the man cast another spell and faded from view. He watched, still amazed, as the door opened and closed silently.

* * *

><p>An enraged scream cut through the night. "<em><strong>THAT FOOL!<strong>_" waking the other two occupants of the home.

Albus Dumbledore crumpled the newspaper in his hands, as he spoke to an empty room. "Not only did he ignore my instructions! But he almost cost me the _BOY_!" He took several deep breaths, to regain control. Moving to the door, he yanked it open, yelling, "Severus! I have need of you!"

Slamming the door he returned to the small settee, and poured himself a cup of tea. He had just finished adding his lemon and sugar when a knock at the door drew his attention. "Enter!" he said with aggravation plain in his voice.

The black haired man stepped into the room. "Master? You wished something of me?" he asked, nervously.

The old man's eyes drifted up from his cup to meet Snape's "What were my instructions when contacting your man within the DMLE?" he asked, ice filling his voice.

Snape swallowed, "He was to pass us any information about Madam Bones's schedule, as well as the location of your wand… and to do so with the utmost discretion… but take no action…"

The old man nodded. "And yet this has happened!" He flung the paper at the man. "I no sooner receive his report with the regular movements of the Bones bitch, than this attack happens! When she would have normally been at her most vulnerable! Having dinner in that eyesore of a store!"

The dark haired man looked at the paper then back in confusion. "Master, how can you be sure it was him?"

The older man scoffed at his servant. "Our person, he was the first Auror to arrive! He even went so far as to brag about finding the body of one of the handlers! No one would approach a dementor willingly without a way of defending themselves, killing the handler would be tantamount to suicide if they couldn't! And I know every single wizard or witch that is capable of casting that charm, and that is a limited list! Bones wasn't there, Black should no longer be able to cast it due to long term exposure, and none of the others there are capable of it!"

Severus looked the article over quickly, and while he wasn't positive his master was correct in his assumption he did not dare to correct him. "I-it says the boy cast the charm!" he said in amazement.

Dumbledore smirked. "Black's doing, no doubt. Though in this instance, his fear of dementors worked in my favor. The others would have been of no consequence, Greengrass has a younger sibling, and Davis does not come from a line that I have a particular use for… But the boy… I have need of him… Now, I will have no choice but to rethink a number of my plans. Severus, I wish you to convey my displeasure at his attempt… most harshly, but he is to survive the encounter. Be sure to stress that he is never to do so again without specific orders from me, the woman will die but it will be by my hand! And we can not afford any further attention at the moment."

The man bowed. "It will be as you wish Master."

The old man stood, leading the younger one toward the door. "I also wish you to escort young Bella on something of a shopping trip. I think… three or four _guests_ will suffice, she may feel free to indulge her tastes… and please see the appropriate potions are readily available when you return. I feel the need to… spend some time… with my precious flower."

Snape involuntarily shuddered, his insides crawled remembering what he had seen the last time he had been forced to clean up after such a session. "As you wish Master." The man turned, happy to escape the room.

"Oh! And Severus?" The man came to a stop, slowly turning to face the man who was now fingering his wand and staring at him with cold eyes. "Next time be certain that the instructions you relay for me are absolutely clear and leave no room for misinterpretation…" His wand jabbed toward Snape. "_Crucio_!"

* * *

><p>It had been almost a month since they had started their Patronus training. Harry had been right, it was by far the most difficult spell she had ever attempted. A single attempt was enough to leave her feeling tired, a second left her panting, and if she attempted a third she would be exhausted needing rest before being able to make it back to her room. Harry had assured them that it did become easier however.<p>

At the moment, Alex was definitely the most advanced, having recently been able to form a shield out of the mist she projected. Only a few of them had even gotten the spell to produce a mist; herself, Neville, Su Li, Sue, and surprisingly Luna. The others still produced just wisps.

At the end of practice tonight Harry had pulled her aside and told her that if she was sure she wanted to know everything then she was to meet him a half hour past curfew in the common room. However, this was her last chance to change her mind, once she had begun there was no going back.

She could tell by the look in his eyes that he meant it, if she backed out he would use his position as her head of house to protect what information she had discovered, but she would be able to walk away.

Hermione had gone up to her room early tonight, that being the quietest place she could find on a Saturday. If he thought it was that important, she decided that she to would give it some serious thought.

Eventually she heard her roommates come in and get ready for bed. She sat behind the closed curtains around her own bed, listening as they speculated quietly that she must not have been feeling well and that is why she had come to bed so early. They even wondered if they should check on her or not, to see if she needed to go to the hospital wing. Thankfully they decided to just let her sleep, they would check on her in the morning.

Glancing at her watch, she saw it was almost time. Carefully she parted her curtains, pulled on her shoes and made her way toward the common room below.

The decision had been made, and Hermione Jean Granger wondered if her life would ever be the same again.

Creeping down the stairs she began to look around the room, her eyes searching for the familiar figure of Harry Potter. As she stepped away from the stairs she called out softly, "Harr-" and something wrapped around her face, covering her mouth, as something else wrapped around her waist.

Over her muffled cry she heard a familiar voice. "Lesson one, when you're trying to move with stealth… _Don't speak_." She immediately stilled. "I assume that by being here you have made your decision?"

The girl wrapped in his arms nodded slowly. "Alright, don't say I didn't give you a way out."

His arms were suddenly gone from around her, she stumbled slightly forward. Spinning as she gained her balance, she came face to face with… nothing.

Looking around the room quickly, she couldn't find where he had disappeared to. His voice drifted to her ears again from someplace near the portal entrance from the castle hallway. "Are you coming or not?" Light poured into the portal as it opened.

Taking a quick look back toward her dorm room, she walked toward the entrance and out into the night beyond.

Harry led her through the main hallway to an alcove, where he pressed on the stand of the statue and a secret passage opened. She had never seen anything like that before in the castle, though in a place with moving staircases and storybook magic she should have expected it. They kept to the unknown passages, only occasionally passing through an area that she recognized, till they stepped out across from a familiar doorway, one she had avoided since the night she and the Patil sisters had been trapped on the other side facing a mountain of angry troll.

He pushed open the door and gestured for her to enter. Following he crossed to a sink on the far side of the room where he blocked her view with his body while he did something she could not follow. The sound of stone sliding across stone soon began, as the sink spun out of the way exposing a walkway leading down.

"Follow me," Harry said, "but be quick the doorway will close in a few moments."

He led her deeper and deeper, until she was sure she was in the very depths of the castle, deeper than the dungeons themselves. She watched as he manipulated a stone lock, on a large stone vault door. As they entered he announced, "Welcome to the Chamber of Secrets!" and globes of light flared to life above torch sconces, revealing the gigantic room.

He walked down the slight incline, to an area where a small sitting area had been arranged with a couple of comfortable looking sofas, four overstuffed chairs and a few small tables. He took off his outer robe and draped it across one of the tables, and plopped into one of the large chairs, looking as if he was not only familiar with the place but comfortable here.

Her brain finally made the connection, he had called this place by a name. "T-the Chamber of Secrets? T-the one created and hidden by Salazar Slytherin?" she finally asked. "B-but what about the…"

He chuckled. "Slytherin's Creature?" She nodded. "Nothing to worry about, it is long gone."

She nodded slowly as she began to look around, it was nothing like she expected. Everything she was seeing confused her more and more. How was this all here? Harry couldn't do this all himself… Could he? How had he found the chamber in the first place? Questions swirled within her mind, as she made her way to the first couch and collapsed onto it heavily.

In the end only one question formed itself, and managed to work its way from her lips. "How?"

Harry smiled, as he leaned forward placing his elbows on his knees. "It all started outside a house in the south of London, in a town called Little Whinging…" he began.


	97. Chapter 98

**As I post this today, I am being plagued by the dreaded summer cold. I'm not sure as to why, but for some reason the summer cold seems a lot worse than a winter one, and I think they last longer! At any rate, this chapter is on time, please forgive me if the next is a little late.**

**Again, as always, I own nothing. I am just playing in someone else's sandbox!**

**READ! ENJOY! REVIEW! As it is the only form of payment any of the writers here expect!**

**Chapter 98**

The weeks following Harry's discussion with Hermione had been difficult to say the least. While she was never unpleasant, never missed a study or training session, nor seemed angry, she rarely spoke with him directly and there was a distinct air of tension lying between them. So much so that the others often asked if there was something they could do to help.

For Hermione's part, it had been difficult for her to hear, and she voiced her opinion that it was wrong that not only Harry's father but their government as well should use him like that! The idea that one of the most important people in her life had been raised and used as a tool or a weapon incensed her! Her angry rant had begun a row that had lasted the remainder of the night!

Harry saw it from the only point of view he knew, his own. What would it have been like for him to arrive here without the training or support he had had? Quirrelmort would have killed them all that night! Or how about that damn snake? It could have killed dozens! If not more! Or how abut the attack at King's Cross? That would have seen her entire family killed!

Meanwhile, Hermione was ranting about the injustice of how he had been raised, never knowing a single place as home, never being able to set down roots of any kind, never having friends or being able to have his family around him or be a child! Not to mention the pressure being heaped upon him by everyone at such a young age! Be it from the magical or the non-magical governments! It wasn't something any child should have been asked to do!

In the end the pair had returned to the common room as the sun rose the next morning, grumbling as they each, in turn, passed Alex/Tonks in the common room. Harry giving her an angry greeting as he stormed up the stairs toward the boys rooms, while Hermione glared daggers at the girl she now knew was much older than either of them and was being trained to be Harry's partner.

Leaving the woman in question standing alone in the room, as she shook her head and said, "It looks like _that_ went well."

And so it went, neither willing to change their viewpoints, allowing a cool ever present anger to settle between them, one that was making life miserable not only for each other but their group of friends as well. Till one evening when one young girl had had enough!

Luna hated seeing her friends like this. It wasn't just the way they were treating each other, but the way it was bleeding over, making them all uncomfortable. Harry may have been the linchpin of their group, the one that instigated many of the things they did, be it their physical training, magical practice, or even their non-magical schooling, but Hermione was just as important in many ways.

If it had not been for her, and her unbelievable planning and scheduling skills, they would never have been able to accomplish as much as they had and still have time left over to enjoy the occasional afternoon of fun, such as the snowball fight just before this mess had started.

Luna looked around the dojo, as she had learned the room should be called, and watched as Harry and Neville faced off across one of the sets of mats. She could see hesitation in Neville's eyes, an unsteadiness centered on his left leg as he shifted his knee back trying to protect a joint she knew was already hurting him from an earlier spar that night, a slight injury received from the person across from him.

Harry on the other hand, looked focused, his eyes never wavered, and his arms spread slightly at the elbows as he circled Neville, like a predator circles an injured animal. Unlike the majority of time he spent in the dojo with them, there was no smile on his face, no gentle guidance and no accolades. While this person was still Harry, it was not the Harry that he normally showed his friends. This was the Harry she had seen only once, standing alone against overwhelming odds as he defended his friends and got them away from King's Cross.

On the other side of the room, as far away as she could possibly get from Harry, Hermione rose from the mat again. Breathing hard, as she rubbed the soreness out of her shoulder, she turned to Su Li. "Again!" she said with a grimace, as she hobbled back to her beginning position and took her stance.

Luna could see the barely contained rage behind the dark eyes of her friend, as she settled into the stance. As well as the uncertainty apparent in the way her opponent moved as she did likewise.

If she let this continue someone was going to be seriously hurt.

Making her decision, she made her way across the room to stand next to the only person that may be able to get the two idiots to listen to her, capturing Alex's attention by kicking her none too softly in the shin.

"Ow!" she yelled. "LUNA! What was that for?"

Luna glared at the girl, her big silver eyes narrowing to thin slits. "_YOU_ are the only one that can get the both of them to listen! I suggest you do something about this before it goes too far!" she said, with more than a hint of anger and exasperation.

Alex was taken aback by the accusation, but recovered quickly. "What?"

"Don't…" said Luna shaking in anger. "Just, don't! You know what I'm talking about! Whatever happened between them, you know about! Do your job, and fix this! If you don't everything they have been working toward will fall apart!"

By that point, not only had the matches stopped because of the girls' yelling, but everyone was staring at Luna, mouths agape. Luna spun on a heel. "_**EVERYBODY OUT!**_ **Harry**! **Hermione**! Not you! _**YOU**_, are going to get this sorted! _Tonight_! I finally have friends! And I am not going to see them come apart at the seams over the pair of you being _**idiots**_!" She spun back toward Alex. "Make sure they get this crap out of their system! Or next time it won't be your _shin_ I kick! Got it?" Alex nodded.

She turned back, glaring at the rest of the group as they filed out of the room. Finally she addressed the last pair in the room. "I don't know what this is about, and I don't care, but you _will_ find a way to get past it! _Understood_?"

The pair glanced at each other then back at the petite blond and then nodded. "Good!" She made her way through the door slamming it behind her.

The remaining three stood staring at the door for some time, before they slowly turned their heads to look at one another. It was Alex that finally spoke. "Is it just me, or is that girl _really_ scary?"

Harry and Hermione looked at each other then back at Alex, answering with a single word, "Yes!"

* * *

><p>Penelope Clearwater, or Penny to her friends, had always thought of herself as a fairly active person. She walked almost everywhere, played tennis most weekends with her mother, and even had a small workout she did while listening to the Wizarding Wireless in the evenings.<p>

However, what she had been going through here? This was something on an entirely different level!

She sighed as she shifted in her chair, trying her best to find a position so she could massage her calf without drawing too much attention to herself in the process. It wasn't like she was a competitive person… Well not much anyway… You couldn't be a Ravenclaw and not have _some_ small amount of a competitive nature, but that was academics and this… this wasn't.

Besides, the only person here she may have been able to compete with, physically, was Janice Akers, the woman that had become her new room mate before the holidays.

She chuckled at the memory. When her mysterious new boss had accompanied her to her apartment, after she had quit her job, he had spent less than five minutes looking around before announcing that not only were her current arrangements insecure, but he would never allow one of _his_ people to live like that!

That had led them to their first discussion about something she really hadn't given any thought to up until that point, security and what it meant to be an Unspeakable. When he had approached her, and asked if she would like to join one of the most prestigious groups within the wizarding world, she had leaped at the chance! They were the stuff of legend among the Ravenclaws, men and women that delved into the deepest mysteries of magic! The leading scholars in numerous fields, the elite among the elite, and an invitation had been hand delivered, to her!

It was at that point when she was introduced to a strange hyperactive house elf, she never caught the small creature's name, but with a few words from the man she now knew as Croaker she watched her meager belongings fly into large trunks, being packed away at stunning speed.

Croaker smiled at her as he flipped through a magazine he had found on her counter. "Do you play?" he asked gesturing to the picture of a woman swinging a racket.

"W-with my mum…" she said, uncertain.

His smile widened. "Excellent! I believe your new roommate plays as well! I do hope you get on alright."

"Roommate?" she asked.

He looked up from the page. "Hmmm… Oh yes! Roommate, I'm afraid it is necessary at the moment. We are undergoing a… restructuring of sorts and it has forced us to rethink several of our procedures along the way. You are just one of several fresh recruits, so for the foreseeable future each of you will be teamed with a partner. Hence, for your cover, a roommate."

She nodded numbly. "Where will we be living?"

He flipped another page. "Here, in London. We have secured you an apartment. I believe you will like it, it is a security building, close to a tube entrance (less than a block I believe), and there is a very nice grocery nearby… Utilities are included in the rent, other than Cable, the wards have already been put in place, so there are no worries there-"

"A muggle apartment?" she blurted. "B-but electricity doesn't work around magic!"

He chuckled. "Ah! That is something that we will be discussing at length down the road, but let's just say that particular idea has proven to be false… At any rate, it is not something that you should be thinking about at the moment. Between now and the first full week of January I want you to concentrate on moving into your new home, getting to know your new roommate, and spending some much deserved time with your family. In fact have them visit your new home, and introduce them to Ms. Akers."

He flipped the magazine closed and slid it further toward the center of the small counter, where it disappeared from almost the second his hand left it, presumably packed with her other things. "Many other things that you will need to know you will learn during your orientation and training period. So at the moment, there is nothing for you to be worried about." He drew a golden pocket watch from the corner pocket of his vest. "However we do have an appointment to keep, to begin your new paperwork, and some other small details."

He snapped the lid of the watch closed and gestured for her to take his arm. "I'm afraid that you won't be able to apparate to Headquarters till your training is complete, please hold on tight."

It hadn't taken her long to figure out she had definitely fallen down a very deep rabbit hole. The amount of paperwork had been astounding, but by the time she was done she had everything she would need to live as a modern muggle; everything from an NHS (National Health Service) card, to a brand new cellular phone! Her new bank account could be accessed from either Barclays or Gringotts and they even had her sign up with a local health club!

Croaker had gone on to explain that he needed his people to be fully functional in both the muggle world and the magical, therefore along with her three months of training (that would start the first week in January), she would be starting an intensive training course to help her sit her A levels! Something he hoped she would be capable of during the summer, as the plan was for her to begin Uni in the fall.

Penny sighed softly as she worked the sore muscle, the workouts were brutal. Up before the sun, a quick warm up and P.T, then it was out into the bitter cold. No matter the weather, snow or shine they ran. They, Janice and herself, had started with 1.6 km and were now up to just over eight km. Once they were back it was breakfast then classes, for her studying for her A levels, for Janice, magical history and studies.

It had surprised her that half of the new recruits to the department were mug… She sighed mentally, she need to stop using that term… _**Non-magical**_. However, when she had read the reports of what had happened within the Department of Mysteries, and within the Wizarding world in general, over the past few hundred years, she began to see why the _non-magical_, government had begun to work so closely with them.

Combine that with the knowledge that _you-know-wh_… again she sighed… Voldemort was still active, even if only as a wraith of some form, it had pushed it from important to urgent that they be ready. Her brows furrowed. Still, something had to have set this cooperation in motion, but exactly what that was? They still had not said.

Janice sat down next to her, placing a hot cup of tea in front of her. "Leg hurt?" she asked.

Penny nodded. "I must have twisted something… It's not bad, I'll put something on it when I get upstairs," she said wrapping her hand around the warm porcelain cup, bringing it up under her nose and inhaling deeply. "Thank you, I could use a cup after that."

She then took a deep sip of the warm liquid, reveling in the warmth as it rolled down her throat. She looked over at the other woman. Janice was older than her by several years, having served four years in Her Majesty's Navy, specializing in Information Technology soon after she started attending Uni, where she also worked until recently maintaining their computers.

She had beautiful dark mahogany skin, with matching deep brown eyes, and even darker hair which gave her an almost exotic quality… until she spoke. Her Kettering accent almost screamed that she had lived her entire life here in the UK.

Janice shrugged. "Weapons qualifying can be a touch stressful, I'll admit… What did you qualify, other than Pistol?" she asked sipping her own tea.

"The MP5, and the A1… But that's shooting at a target… I'm not sure I could shoot at a person…" she said quietly.

Janice nodded. "And hopefully we won't need to, that is what they are for," she said gesturing toward the other table. "But it is best that we can… I don't know about you but this wasn't exactly what I expected… I heard stories from my family, but someone being able to stay alive like that Voldemort guy?" She shuddered. "And if it's any indication from the handling and cataloguing procedures that are in place, some of the magical objects we're going to be around are as deadly as anything short of a bio-weapon or mini nuke!"

Penny grimaced. "Yeah… did you read about that dagger? The one that punched through that reinforced Kevlar weave, and the steel plate? Then the poison it was covered in corroded away everything it touched?"

Janice nodded. "That is the type of thing I'm talking about! It took the hazardous materials team four hours till they were sure the residue left on the _ground_ wasn't still dangerous! Then there are those necklaces that can turn back time! Some of this stuff is just crazy!"

Penny nodded. "No need to sell me on that, and I'm the one that has learned to use a wand!"

Janice snickered at that, and changed subjects. "So, they're sending you to Uni?"

Penny nodded again. "Once I've got my A levels… Mum's ecstatic that I found a new job and I'm getting them by taking 'night classes'… Though she thinks it is for Universal Exports, I think both of my parents are glad I found something in the 'normal' world. I'm almost scared to think what would have happened if I and my old boyfriend, Percy, had stayed together…" she said weakly. "If he hadn't dumped me in favor of his career…"

Janice shrugged. "You're better off now…" She leaned in and whispered, "Did you ever tell Bill his brother was your ex?" she asked.

Penny nodded. "Right after we did the section about how Muggleborn girls are used by some families… I was so mad… I just couldn't stop myself." She chuckled. "He looked so stunned, he just couldn't believe someone in his family would act like that… If it hadn't been for his partner, Trevor, I think he would have gone and 'discussed' the issue with him right then!"

Janice smiled, and sat back. "Good! I hope he does have a 'discussion' with that little arse."


	98. Chapter 99

_**Ok header note time, so please pay attention to the following announcements**_**! (None of them bad)**

**There will be one more chapter in this story, ending it just before the Summer of year 3**

**Second World: Deadman's Hand**** will pick up at that point after I take a small break (A month or so), to recharge the Bond batteries.**

**That's it, no more announcements. I wanted to divide things up at a point as the story is over 400 pages and getting annoying to deal with in Word. So the 100 matk it is!**

**Alright that's it! ON WITH THE SHOW!**

**As always I own nothing, just playing with someone else's sand. **

**READ! ENJOY! REVIEW! Because it is the only form of payment any of the writers here expect! A big thank you goes out to the mighty pazed for the help! **

**Chapter 99**

Harry shook his head as he stood, rubber knife in hand. "Good!" He rolled his shoulder working some of the soreness out. "As you can see, you can follow up on the same throw by locking the arm and with enough pressure disarm your opponent, dislocate his shoulder or even break the arm."

Neville nodded and Harry continued the lesson as he turned toward the rest of the class. "Now, why learn something like this?" he asked ignoring the roll of the eyes that came from Su Li, and Hermione's hand. "Susan? Hanna?" he asked, seeing the two in the back giggling at something.

Sue's head jerked to the front, as did Hanna's. "Wha… Ummmm… Well…" they said almost in tandem, glancing nervously around, both of their faces turning red.

Harry let them stew about another few seconds, before he continued. "You may have been disarmed at some point, or broken your wand, or any number of other reasons. You need to be prepared to deal with an opponent at close range with what is a definite advantage, in this case a knife, but it will work the much the same way with a wand or even a handgun. Practice with such a maneuver will give you a leg up if you ever find yourself in such a situation by creating muscle memory, making this an automatic reaction. No one, not a friend or a foe, should have a weapon within an arm's length of you, without your full knowledge and understanding, especially if it is pointed in your direction."

"Alright break into pairs, I want ten throws each then do your cool downs. That is it for tonight," he said waving them toward the mats.

Harry walked over to the row of chairs at the edge of the room and sat next to the diminutive professor that served as their advisor. "Professor," Harry acknowledged as he sat and took a sip of water from one of the bottles.

"Mr. Potter," Filius Flitwick said as he watched the young man closely. "Mr. Potter, how long have you studied martial arts?" he asked.

Harry shrugged. "As long as I remember… I think I was four… Su Li was about the same age when she started."

Filius glanced toward his young Ravenclaw, the only other person in the room without a partner, as she walked around the room correcting individual movements and giving pointers. He knew of her grandfather, and had taught her mother (she had been Ravenclaw herself), however he had never had the honor of meeting the young girl's father.

Her grandfather was a stern man, one of the old guard within the Ministry, he was Rosenberg through and through. The idea that his daughter had met, and married a foreign wizard, while visiting Paris for the summer had not set well with him, to say the least.

The only reason he had accepted the girl into his home had been because of his wife, Ophelia. She had adored her daughter, easily as much as her son, and had accepted the child with open arms, while Roderick had done so only because she was his only surviving blood relative after the death of their son during the dragon pox outbreak of 1986, and even then it took Ophelia pushing him on the subject.

He knew the girl's home life was… unpleasant, after Ophelia's passing, when not attending Hogwarts, and that she found the curriculum here stifling at best. He had, more than once, had long conversations about how things were taught in Shanghai and the differences between eastern and western magic.

However this year had been different. With the changes at the school as well as her joining this group, she had blossomed, especially within the walls of this classroom. Becoming Harry's right hand and second set of eyes, a smile he had rarely seen graced her face more easily and more often than he had ever expected.

"You are a talented teacher, Mr. Potter," said the small man. "Between this and your ability to teach the Patronus Charm I may be out of a job soon." He chuckled.

Harry followed suit with a light chuckle. "I don't think you have much to worry about… at least for the foreseeable future. I still have years of schooling to get through… and then there are my responsibilities as a Potter and a Black to consider…" His chuckle trailed away. "I may not have much time for teaching… I'm no Dumbledore… I know I can't do everything."

"Oh Harry, I'm sure you will find the time if it is something you are passionate about. Just never lose sight of what is important to you, and know that you will always have those around you that are willing to help," he said tilting his head to the room full of Harry's friends. "At any rate, I am pleased at their progress with the charm, four full manifestations! And the rest showing remarkable advancement!"

Harry smiled. "Yes, we were all surprised when Luna accomplished hers so quickly… after the… well, after Hermione and I patched things up." He chuckled. "Her Patronus form was a surprise as well…"

Filius looked at him surprised. "You knew what that… creature was?"

Harry couldn't help it he broke out into a fit of laughter that threatened to toss him from his chair. When he had himself under control, he answered. "…I-I I think her Patronus is proof that the manifestation is something that is very personal… something that, for whatever reason has a profound connection to that person, and while that normally takes the form of an animal… Well I guess that is kind of the case here as well…"

Filius looked at him with a confused expression.

Harry tried a different way of explaining, "In the non-magical world we have a type of entertainment called a cinema, or movies."

Filius nodded. "Your mother spoke of them, when she was a student."

Harry smiled. "I hope you can tell me about that sometime?" The small man nodded, as harry continued, "Well, once, back before I was born… probably my mother as well, shorts films made from drawings were shown before the feature, or main, film. They were mostly comedies, some of them were musicals, and they starred animals with human traits. Luna's Patronus is one of those pseudo-creatures… it's called the Tasmanian Devil and it is based on the real thing… sort of." Harry broke up in chuckles again. "He's kind of a villain in the stories, not because he is evil or anything he's just always hungry, and someone is usually between him and his next meal."

The man looked at him dubiously till Harry held up his hands in mock surrender. "Honestly, it's really funny. I love them, they show them on the telly now. I have no idea why hers manifested like that… but Luna has always seen things a little differently than the rest of us."

Filius sighed, that much was true. He had sat down and talked with the child in question more than once, each of those encounters requiring him to seek relief from Poppy for the ensuing headache. She was another that had benefited greatly by her associations here - no longer was she the Ravenclaw outcast, as well as learning how to stand up for herself (much to the consternation of her housemates in some instances).

Filius let that part of the subject drop. "As for the other three, theirs were more conventional?"

Harry shrugged, taking another drink. "Hermione's is a horse, big too at least sixteen hands, Neville's is a falcon, a goshawk… and then there is Alex and her fox. So no I don't think me being the one who taught them has anything with it," he said.

The little man lifted a single eyebrow. "I never thought it did, Mr. Potter. Any wager on who will be the next?"

Harry nodded. "Susan," he said with some certainty. "Probably in tomorrow's session, though the Patils are getting very close and could surprise us. The others will have it before the end of the school year," he continued, and then stood as the class gathered in front of him.

"Alright, that's it. See you all in the morning," he said as the door opened and they filed out and toward their dorm rooms.

* * *

><p>James shuffled the pages in the folder arranging them in the order he wanted for this particular presentation; a lot of things hinged on how this meeting went. The click of the door handle pulled his attention toward the man entering the nondescript air base office he had borrowed for the day. He stood about average height, 165cm or so, and his build looked to be a little on the lean side, though his fitness reports gave him some of the highest marks.<p>

"Staff Sergeant Alfonzo Mathers," he said, as the fresh shaven and shorn man snapped to attention, hand up in a salute. "That will be enough of that, you don't need to salute me Staff Sergeant." He waved at the man to sit. "Do you have any idea why you are here today, Staff Sergeant?"

The man moved to the hard metal chair and sat, James watching with a calculating eye. He moved well, smoothly, and if there had been any doubt about him it was vanquished when James's eyes met his; this man was a hunter, a predator, one that stalked a battlefield.

"I have a job offer for you." He held up his hand quelling the man's objections. "If you take this offer you will retain your rank, but will no longer be a member of the SAS. Your expertise is needed, and you have other qualities that make you uniquely suitable as well. This would be a direct transfer, all of your seniority and retirement would continue as they are."

The man across from James frowned. "But I would no longer be under the command of the SAS?"

James nodded. "A specialist unit is being formed, one that will primarily deal with counter terrorism."

"And you want me, as your team's sniper?" he asked, with a cold tone.

"You have skills we are in need of, yes." James thumbed through the pages in the files. "I can't tell you much about the unit, and what I can falls under your Secrecy Oath. Do you understand?"

The man nodded, slowly. "Why do you want me… specifically. I haven't heard of a new unit being formed, and that is usually hot news."

James shrugged. "Very few have _all_ of the qualifications we are looking for, _one_ in particular," he said, wanting to see how sharp this guy was.

Mathers' mind went into overdrive, searching through his background for that _one_ qualification that he may have that others didn't. He'd been in the sandbox… but so had a lot of others, he had an impressive count… but again, so did others, he had urban sniping experience… that wasn't unheard of… his cross training was fairly standard… Then his mind pulled up something, something he doubted many had come across, even fewer within the military… One thing… one word… one word that made his blood run cold. "Magic…" he said, quietly.

When he heard the word James smiled internally, but kept his features passive. Pulling a picture from the file he laid it flat facing Mathers. "Albert Mathers, age fifteen."

James watched as the steel like coils of muscle under the man's clothes tensed. "Killed by an 'unknown' means 20 December 1977. Actual cause of death, the Avada Kedavra, or killing curse, while your parents were attending a Christmas party; your brother used his magic to petrify you and hid you before they found and killed him."

The man's eyes darted from the picture of his brother to the man behind the desk. "How? How do you know that? " he growled.

"Because it is my _job_ to know!" James said sternly. "The men that did that, the ones in the black capes and white masks, these so called _Deatheaters_, they are making a comeback it seems; the attack on Kings Cross was their work. I am offering a place on the team that will respond to the threat they present as well as any other of that type."

He watched closely as the man's faced morphed from anger to something more feral. "_However,_ Staff Sergeant," James said, in an angry tone, "that unit will _**NOT**_ be a license for revenge! Do I make my self clear?"

Angry eyes met James's in a battle of wills, in the end it was Mathers that looked away. "Yes," he spat. What Mathers had seen in the man's eyes was something he would never forget. While he was a predator that hunted men, the man across from him? He hunted predators, and monsters.

"Good!" James sat back. "My next question is one I want you to think about before you answer. One that if you lie, or do not take seriously, will in the end get you or one of your team killed. Do you understand?"

The man nodded. "Now, once I ask, I want you to get up and walk out of here. If your answer is yes, you will meet a helicopter on the far end of the flight line at 0400 one week from today. If you are not there nothing more will be said."

He waited for the man to nod again. "Can you work with a magical? Be on the team with them? Have one as your backup? If not… Don't show up. Dismissed."

Mathers stood slowly, and made his way out the door and down the hallway, a war waging inside. Could he work with one of _them_?

He didn't have a clue.

* * *

><p>Anya smiled as she looked out the window; such a beautiful country. She had never had the chance to consider such before, but now? Now she had sufficient time to do many things, not for her country or for the mission, but for herself. But unfortunately, her personal time would need to wait, at least until the end of business today. Today was to be a novel experience, her first day on a new job! She checked her new shorter hair for the fifth time this morning then quickly went through the contents of her purse making sure everything was prepared for the day. The most important of which was her new cover identity; Anna Markova, born in New York, Brighton Beach; recently moved south for the warmer climate. It was simple, and Brighton Beach had a large Russian community so the likelihood of meeting someone from there that would have issue with her story was relatively small.<p>

Felix had arranged a house for her within walking distance of the beach, and a suitable vehicle for someone fairly well off. She even had a private pool. As for work she was now what was known as a _data analyst_, an apt description as she was to look over intelligence reports gathered by both Copper and Felix, from a field operative's perspective, as well as go up against the occasional team in an infiltration exercise, something she was happy to do since it would keep her motivated to stay in shape.

She glanced at the mirror once more and stepped out the door, turning to lock it behind her watching the small red LED light on the far side of the room hidden in her stereo equipment blink three times, telling her the alarm system was armed. Next she headed for her 'new' white 1993 Mercedes SL500 2door convertible… She had insisted on the convertible, it _was_ Florida after all.

Sliding into the seat she smiled; for the first time since Sergei was killed she felt at peace. It was something she believed she could get used to. She shifted the car into gear and pulled away from the drive, all the while enjoying the morning sun.

* * *

><p>Felix looked at the government issue clock on the wall of his government issue office, and wondered how in the hell these things kept happening to him? And how they always seemed to hinge around that limey bastard?<p>

Oh, don't get him wrong, James was one of his best friends. But that Brit bastard had brought more trouble to his door than a bag full of wet cats! Over the years they had butted heads, fought (each other on occasion and together), hunted tyrants and mad men, but _this_? This pile of crap had made him wish he had never picked up the phone that night, or at least already turned in his retirement paperwork like he had been threatening to do for the last ten years!

Now he had a whole new set of variables, and people to deal with! Copper wanting his people trained, a fucking Russian super agent setting up house in Miami with his blessing, no less!… and worst of all, now he was on the god damned speed dial of the fucking President… _**AGAIN**_! God almighty! When he had taken this fucking job it was to keep from being pulled into the crazy shit time and time again! Now here he was! Back in it up to his neck!

He sighed, and rubbed his eyes, laying his glasses to the side. The President… of all the… Unbelievable crap he had seen to think the President wanted him to sit in on a meeting about magic. Good God!

And this briefing report that had been done by his staff, these people were capable of some scary shit! But the potential! Oh My God the potential of these people.

And to think even with all his years in the intelligence game he had not heard so much as a whisper of these people, or of their magic! Evidently few did, and those in the know were sworn to secrecy.

Did he resent being pulled into this pile of dog crap? _**Hell yes!**_ But he wouldn't miss the challenge it meant for the world!

He picked up his glasses again, cleaned the lenses, put them back on and began to read again. He had four days left before he was to meet with the President and his magical staff in the Oval Office.


	99. Chapter 100! SEE NOTE!

**Announcement to follow! Please read!**

**This is the end of part one! ****Second World: Deadman's Hand**** will begin in about a month. Please plan accordingly.**

**Now, for the reason I did this. Basically I figure chapter 100/the end of third year is the perfect point for me to divide the story, as well as help me with the original's file size.**

**So… on with the show!**

**Once again I own nothing! Just playing with someone else's toys!**

**READ! ENJOY! REVIEW! As it is the only form of payment any writer here expects!**

**Chapter 100**

Harry sat on the floor of the compartment and looking around at his friends, sighed quietly. They needed to think about a new seating arrangement soon; it had been fine for a while but now, with their ever growing number and sizes, it was getting a little ridiculous for them all to cram into one compartment. Neville looked particularly uncomfortable, as he had sprouted not only up but had also grown quite wide through the shoulders.

The only space open in the entire cabin was directly in front of the doorway, for the width of the door and perhaps a foot deep, just enough for someone to open and step in. This had been done for safety's sake, just in case those damn dementors were allowed back on board on their way home. If it did happen those that had proven themselves in the presence of a boggart (it was the best they had and been obtained by professor Flitwick, and changed to the dementor form due to it now being Daphne's fear), would exit in teams of two and move down the length of the train, handing out chocolate (as that was something they all doubted would occur to the Ministry's people) to the others on board in the wake of their passing.

In truth it had been a quiet year at Hogwarts, despite the dementors, especially since the majority of the issues with those creatures had not happened upon school grounds. It had been a pleasant change.

Harry turned his thoughts towards the other passengers in the room. "So, what has everyone got planned for the summer?" he asked.

Susan spoke up first. "This is our first summer with Madam Marta for all the girls… except for Luna and Alex… Hermione, you said you're going to attend, right?" she asked the bushy headed girl.

Hermione smiled. "Yes, I'll be attending… my _lord _in training here, and his godfather think it best I know how to function in his stead if necessary," she said elbowing Harry in his side.

"Hey!" He rubbed his side. "You know you'll love it! Think of all the new things you'll learn! And I guarantee it will be more fun then the way I have to learn some of this stuff! There is just so much time Sirius can keep from doing some form of stupid prank!"

Neville nodded. "Or, as much as I love her, spend hours on end being grilled by my Grand'mum. It hasn't been fun at all, and I'm _alone_ for it."

Hermione harrumphed, "True…. I guess. At least I'll know most of the people there, even if I'm the only muggleborn."

Luna chuckled. "I'll be going next year, I expect… though it would be more fun with my friends."

Ginny looked down, and spoke quietly. "I-I'd be with you Luna… But my family can't afford it… especially not after finding out the scholarship program for Hogwarts has been canceled by the Ministry. We are going to need to save every knut to make sure Ron, the twins and I can finish."

Parvati sighed. "No offence Gin, but I can't see Ron making it much past his OWLS, _if _that. He just doesn't seem to want to learn… even Seamus, Dean and Lavender join us occasionally and work to keep their grades up to acceptable levels, but Ron… He just doesn't seem interested."

The young red head sighed. "I know, all he wants to do is talk about quidditch or play chess. Mum and Da' are going to be furious when his grades arrive… Anyway, what about you Harry? Any plans?" she asked wanting to move the subject away from her family. She had only recently started joining them, on Luna's insistence, and was still a little awestruck at how readily she had been accepted.

Harry shrugged, and shook his head slightly, bringing his thoughts back from where they had wandered after hearing the scholarships to Hogwarts had been canceled, something he would be looking into. "At the moment I'm not sure, though I expect we will be doing some traveling over the summer. What that entails at the moment I'm not sure, but I'll be back in time for the Quidditch World Cup. Who all is going?"

There was a show of hands all around, including Ginny, as her father had obtained free passes due to his work at the Ministry. "Then we'll all need to figure out a place to meet at the venue, even if we don't all sit together that doesn't mean we can't meet beforehand and do a walkabout. It should be something to see!" he said with a grin. "Any ideas? Sirius said he got us one of the cabins, and Hermione, Luna, Su and Alex will be staying with us."

Sue nodded. "I'll be with the Abbotts… but Aunty got us one as well."

Neville smiled. "Then that is three. Gran wasn't keen on going, but I pointed out some of the political connections and she conceded. She insisted on additional security however, hence the cabin for just the two of us, as well as several Hitwizards. She isn't taking any chances with LeStrange still on the loose."

Harry nodded. "As well she shouldn't. Better safe than sorry."

Daphne harrumphed. "Tracy will be with me… and my sister. Our family has a spot reserved but couldn't get a cabin."

Ginny sighed. "I'll be with my family, we borrowed a wizarding tent and have a spot reserved. Dad will be working some of the time, some wizards can't seem to keep from showing off… He'll need to deal with any illegal enchanting of muggle objects on the grounds if something happens."

The Patils were the last to speak. "We were informed we are going but not the arrangements that have been made, we can owl you once we know something more."

Harry nodded. "Alright, but let's at least make tentative plans to meet at the cabins the morning before the game begins, say nine? That way we have at least one day together. If something changes or you can't make it… Daphne do you mind being our hub of contact?" She shook her head, smiled and he nodded. "Good, I'll lend you Hedwig, she has never failed to find me no matter where I am." Her eyes widened at that statement, if what she had heard about half of his travels were true then that was one special owl!

Nods of agreement came from around the room.

Hermione grabbed Alex by the arm and pulled her out into the hall, stating they were headed to the loo. Once they were inside the small restroom she gestured that she wanted some privacy.

Tonks swished her wand around incanting a silencing charm. "That will do it," she said putting her wand back in her holster. "What do you need?"

"You're going to be with Harry this summer, right?" she asked.

The older girl nodded. "As far as I know, I may be separated from him for some form of training, but if I am he will have someone else with him or be in training of his own."

Hermione chewed on her bottom lip as she thought. "And Luna?"

The ex-auror sighed. "I don't know… she will be safe, and someone will be watching over her, but as for what she will be doing? I have no idea."

Hermione nodded again, and took a deep breath. After letting it out slowly, she asked, "How do I go about it?... Training I mean. I… I want to be like you… someone Harry can rely on."

The older woman smiled. "Sweetie, you are doing just fine… Listen to your da' and your uncle, get them to help. You are one of the best prepared out of any of them… you and Neville." She put her hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Other than that, learn all you can, especially at Madam Marta's. He'll need your help with that, sooner than he thinks… especially with Sirius as the one teaching him. The man is pants at the political game, he may know the rules and the players, but his disposition and reputation put a lot of people off. Especially now that he is in the process of cutting ties with some of the older and… less savory aspects of his family's associations. Without Aunt Cissy he'd be lost. When Harry takes over House Black there will still be a long way to go, and repositioning it within those confines will be up to Harry. He respects your intelligence, and will be asking your opinion on many things in the future, I have no doubt."

Hermione looked surprised by that. "You mean he won't just follow what his father's people want?" she asked.

Alex smirked at her. "Do you really think Harry would just follow them blindly?"

Hermione had the good sense to blush. "No. I suppose not…"

Alex nodded. "Listen to them? Yes, he will listen and take that consultation to heart, especially as his primary goal is to bring the wizarding government more in line with the non magical, like it was intended to be."

Hermione sighed. "Alright… I'm sorry. I still don't like the way they are using him… I understand it, but I don't like it."

Alex chuckled. "Believe me, sometimes you need to make sacrifices to do the right thing. I sacrificed my old life for this one… granted I'll get it back one day, but now that I understand more of what has been at stake I'm glad that I did. This is too important, and needs to be handled now before things begin to get worse than they already are."

Hermione nodded. "I get it. I really do… Any other advice you can give me?"

Alex thought about it for a moment. "You need to be sure to control your temper at Madam Marta's…" She held up her hand, stalling the girl's retort. "Just like that, you need to control your impulsive nature. There will be many other girls there as well, and some of them don't like you very much already… Like the Parkinson girl. They will try to goad you into things. You _cannot_ respond to them, not like you would normally at any rate. You need to learn how to react within wizarding society rules as quickly as possible, because any faux pas, or anything else you may do for that matter, will reflect directly on Harry and Sirius. Understand?"

Hermione slumped. "This is going to be harder than it looks… It is a huge step back from everything I was taught growing up."

Alex nodded. "I know, you just need to be wary of it. Ask Madam Marta for help, send an owl as soon as you get home and explain your concerns to her. Just be polite and she should be willing to help. She's nice… while I never went through the courses officially, due to our family being blasted from the Black family tapestry, my mother and she were friends so she helped me when I reached your age, just in case I ended up needing it. She helped Harry's mother as well, when she was preparing to become Lady Potter."

Hermione nodded. "I'll do that. Thanks…" she reached for the door. "Watch out for him? Please?"

Alex's smile returned, "I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't."

* * *

><p>A wraith made its way down the alleyway, moving quickly from deep shadow to deep shadow, a small burlap bag clutched close to its chest. Tonight had been a good night, tonight's haul would see him through for the next few days until he saw another chance.<p>

When the wraith made it to the edge of the shadows leading into the alley it removed the dark cloak and slipped it into the bag as Byron Sounders stepped into the light for the first time today.

He didn't like the way he had to make his living, he had never wanted to be a thief, but after he had left Hogwarts there had been little choice. Evidently he had been… indiscreet at some point and his father had learned of it, leading to him being cast out. Not of the family, at least not yet, as it could lead to a scandal, but he had had all financial support withdrawn as well as being barred from the family homes. So the effect was much the same.

Originally he had thought to find employment someplace, but a well placed word by his father here or there had ended that idea quickly as everyone that had at one time greeted him warmly now ignored him. It was at that point he had been forced to venture into muggle London.

It had taken some time, but after a few weeks he began to understand how the world outside worked. That had taken some trial and error on his part, especially learning how the muggles' currency worked; finding a place that offered food in exchange for some work had allowed him enough time to work things through.

He spent the majority of his time listening to those around him, and ended up learning a great deal. Including places that asked few questions about what a person brought in to sell, especially if it was precious metals, or stones. Those would prove invaluable later on.

He made his way upstairs to the small room he rented by the week, unlocked the door and stepped inside. His shoulders slumped, as he felt the tension of the night release and the fatigue began to catch up with him. 'A shower first, then food…' he thought as he made his way to far side of the tiny room, and waved his wand at the paneling causing it to slide open and the lockbox inside to become visible. Placing the majority of the money from the night inside he waved his wand again and the panel shut.

He jumped when a voice came from the chair by the window that he thought was empty when he entered. "You'd do better to hide your stash in the bathroom, or kitchen. Charm the tub or refrigerator to move and put the expansion charm, for space, underneath. A blank wall is the first place a magical would look, after behind a picture."

He whirled toward the voice, wand in hand, only to freeze in place half way. "No… I think you can be stoppin' right there," the voice said. Byron could just make out movement from the corner of his eye, and an odd cadence of someone walking across the floor behind him. He watched helplessly as a hand appeared from someplace behind him and plucked his wand from between his fingers.

"Constant vigilance lad!" said the voice from behind him. "It'll save your life. Take it from someone who knows." He felt himself float upward a small amount and then move toward the chair. "Besides, can't be haven' ya' hex your new boss can we? Well unless you've gotten a taste for be'n a thief, but if that's the case I'll just drop you off by the DMLE and you can toddle off to Azkaban by morning."

He felt himself spin slightly and then settle into the chair, giving him a good look at the man for the first time. He had seen his picture in the papers before, he was looking at Alistair 'Mad-eye' Moody. The most feared dark wizard hunter to come out of the war with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. A trickle of sweat ran down his back.

"Is that somethin' you'd be interested in lad? Or would you rather go to work for me, an put thievin' behind ye?" the grizzled man asked as he leaned on his staff , and kept his wand trained on him.

After a moment he spoke again. "Well lad? Speak up!"

Byron tried his best but it came out in a muffled "Mmm…"

"Good!" Moody hobbled to the area on the wall and cast a spell, revealing the lockbox, and hobbled back with it. He then summoned what money Byron had on him and popped the box open. "Decent little nest egg you've got for yourself here. We've been watchin' you for a while, and have a total for the replacement value of everythin' you have stolen, and believe me you didn't make that easy… It will be comin' out of your pay in installments. That way it won't be hangin' on your conscience. So you can keep this." He tossed it back in the box. "I'm gonna be releasin' your head and arm so you can recite your oath, in a minute."

He then placed a piece of paper on top of the small stack of money. "That, is an address. A cab, you know what that is? Right?" Byron made another muffled sound, and Moody nodded. "At any rate, it will be out front tomorrow morning at eight. Don't be late, or I'll be comin' ta' look for ye, and you won't be like'n that. Once there follow the instructions to the office listed, there'll be muggle papers wait'n for ye there. Follow the person's instructions, and ye'll be on your way to start'n' yer trainin'. Do yo'r best, and stay out of trouble." He then administered the oath and began making his way toward the door.

Half way across the room he turned to face Byron again. "You probably won't like it much, but you need to understand the way you are now yer useless to us and this will be the fastest way to get you to where we need you ta' be. Welcome to the Unspeakables Sounders." He then spun on his heel and disappeared with a quiet 'pop'.

Leaving a confused Byron Sounders behind.

* * *

><p>Harry hated doing the trip home this way. Hiding his secret from Luna when she was spending so much of her time with him was becoming more difficult. Now, for the second year in a row he had needed to go out for dinner to give the goblins adequate time to go over their belongings as well as check them over while they sat in the small dining room. Then climb out of bed less than two hours after lying down, to be debriefed and go over the final plans for the summer.<p>

Luckily, that had gone as he had expected. Luna would travel with him and Alex to Miami where, while Luna spent time between a new computer training course and Terry's place, Harry and Alex would start their training jointly with Copper's people and Anya, to expand their skills. After a month, Alex would go to New York and meet up with an old _friend_ of his father's and train under her for the next month, while he spent some time with his family and traveling for couple of weeks, then he would fly to his grandfather's and spend time learning more about his business. Then finally home and meet up again back in London for the World Cup.

It was to be a busy summer, but time well spent.


End file.
